


Christmas in Yavin - A Hallmark Holiday Special

by BatuuPrincess



Series: The Yavin Holiday Collection [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Former High School Sweethearts, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Mutual Pining, Returning Home, Slow Build, brief mention of bisexual Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21583858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/pseuds/BatuuPrincess
Summary: When a merger makes Rey's job redundant, she heads back to the hometown she left nearly 12 years ago. Once there, she reconnects with a life she'd thought she'd left behind for good, including her former high school sweetheart, Poe Dameron. But a lot has changed in the time she'd been away, and as Christmas approaches and sparks fly, Rey must decide whether she will return to the city for her dream job or follow her heart and stay in Yavin for good.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: The Yavin Holiday Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636381
Comments: 389
Kudos: 270





	1. A Conscious Uncoupling

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I know what you're thinking. "You haven't even finished your last fic!" But here I am with the plot bunny to end all plot bunnies and the need to write what is essentially a Hallmark Movie for Damerey (hence the ridiculous title). It's going to be sweet and fluffy with the mildest of angst, so I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Just a quick heads up, the bad boss/boyfriend that sends her running back home is Ben Solo, so you get a heavy dose of Rey and Ben in this chapter. It's pretty obvious from the start that he's the worst, so I'm hoping it's not an issue for my readers. If you can't stand Ben Solo in any form, I would skip.
> 
> Thanks!

Rey blinked against the brightness of her screen, eyes struggling to focus at such a late hour. Rolling her neck, she willed the ache to leave her shoulders. It was getting to the point that she’d have to take a break soon, and that just wouldn’t do, not when she was so close to finishing…

“Miss Kenobi?” came a voice from the hall. 

Rey looked up to find her boss leaning against the threshold of her door, tie loosened and top button of his expensive dress shirt undone. 

“I didn’t realize anyone else was still in the office,” he went on, stepping through the doorway. 

“Me either.” Rey cocked her head. It was far more unusual for Ben Solo to be here at this late hour than for Rey to be. “What are you still doing here?” 

“You know how it is,” he said. He looked a little nervous, but then again, with the big pitch for Sienar Fleet Systems looming, Ben always looked nervous these days. He nodded his head toward her computer. “Burning the midnight oil?”

Rey took the opportunity to stretch, her neck and back popping in protest of the movement. “Just trying to finalize this pitch before the meeting tomorrow. The art department didn’t get me the mock-ups until after 6.”

“Always my star employee,” he said, making his way around her desk. “However will I reward you?”

The velvet in his voice told her that he had a few ideas in mind. 

He wasn’t conventionally handsome, but there was something about Ben Solo that drew her to him nonetheless. Though she hated to admit it, maybe it was his power, his effortless place in this world that she had fought so hard to break into. Like he belonged here among the greats.

Then again, when your mother owned Resistance Media, one of the top advertising firms in the nation, it was pretty hard not to belong. Rey couldn’t help but admire the way he had struck out on his own, creating a company from scratch instead of simply sitting back and taking a position with his mother. Granted, Leia Organa-Solo had provided the seed money for this operation, but who was counting when Jedi Worldwide was the fastest growing advertising firm in the city. 

Rey, on the other hand, had come from nothing (a podunk town, as Ben liked to put it) and worked her way through the ranks, starting as a junior copywriter straight out of college. She’d risen fast, going from a junior to a senior copywriter before snagging this latest promotion to creative director. This would be her first major pitch and she was more than determined to make a mark.

If only she didn’t keep getting distracted by Ben Solo.

Though it seemed that would once again be her fate as he leaned over to kiss her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. 

They’d been seeing each other for years now, keeping their relationship under the radar in an effort to maintain professional integrity. Ben insisted (and Rey agreed) that it certainly wouldn’t look good if people knew the new creative director was sleeping with the boss. 

Rey pulled back first, her heart thundering against her chest. “Ben, what if someone catches us?” 

“Don’t worry, we’re completely alone. I checked on the way down here.” Ben smirked down at her, one hand on either armrest of her chair so his body completely engulfed hers. Rey was pretty tall for a woman, but Ben was gigantic, tall and broad in a way that made her feel tiny and insignificant in comparison. She had a fleeting thought that he preferred her that way. “What do you say I thank you for all your hard work right here on this desk?”

It wouldn’t be the first time they fucked on her desk and she was fairly certain it wouldn’t be the last. Ben had a thing about public places; the thrill that came from the threat of getting caught always seemed to get him off. It wasn’t really Rey’s thing, but she liked to make herself amenable, especially when it came to Ben. 

A quick calculation told her that if she said yes she could be back to working on finalizing the pitch in less than 20 minutes. 

“I think that could be arranged,” she said, sealing it with a kiss.

“What?”

“Is he saying what I think he’s saying?”

“How can they do this?”

The conference room was abuzz with nervous chatter. News just broke that Ben Solo had sold Jedi Worldwide to First Order Advertising, a huge conglomerate and one of his mother’s biggest competitors. 

Rey’s stomach lurched unpleasantly, her earlier three cups of coffee going sour. It didn’t escape her notice that Ben had not mentioned a word of this to her over the last few months. There was no way that a deal like this hadn’t been in the works for a while, and she couldn’t deny that the secrecy stung. She told herself she had nothing to worry about, not when her pitch had won them the Sienar work and their biggest client to date, but still, the uncertainty loomed.

“Everyone, please, calm down.” Ben stood at the head of the table, flawless as ever in an Armani suit. “Yes, there will be some redundancies, but Mr. Snoke has assured me that-”

“What about you?” cut in one of the account execs. “Where do you fit in to all of this?”

Ben took a deep breath, obviously annoyed at both the interruption and the question. “As I said, I’ll be taking over as the Executive Vice President of First Order.” Chatter broke out again, Ben not waiting for it to die down. “This is a _good_ thing, people. I’ll have more control over the integration this way. I assure you, this is the best thing for all of us.”

He nodded toward his executive assistant, the screen behind him coming to life with a presentation. “Now let’s talk timing.”

Rey leaned back in her chair, letting the names and dates and plans wash over her. Snoke. Hux. November 27. December 2. Restructuring. Efficiencies. 

“The deal will be finalized on December 30, and we will officially open on January 2nd under the umbrella of First Order Advertising.”

It was the first of November. That left a little over two months to complete the entire merger.

The end of his speech was met with stony silence.

While Rey was still nervous - these types of changes were never quite as painless as presented - she trusted Ben. There was no way he would let any harm come to his people, especially her.

So when he finished addressing them and swept from the board room, Rey followed a second later. That hadn’t gone well, and she could read the tension on Ben’s face from across the room. She wanted to do something to reassure him, let him know that she was behind him 100%.

Ben stood with his back toward the open door, his arms crossed behind his back as he looked out the floor to ceiling windows to the city beyond. 

“Mr. Solo?” she said, ignoring the smirk his EA gave her. Ben insisted they used formal greetings in the office, claiming that companies with first name only policies were disorderly and unprofessional. “May I have a word?”

Ben turned to her, tearing his eyes away from the breathtaking views of the city. “Of course, Miss Kenobi. Close the door.”

She bit back her annoyance at the use of “miss.” No matter how many times she asked him to call her “Ms.” as a sign of both her age and her position in the company, he still insisted on making her sound like a small child in public.

She waited until she had firmly shut the door before crossing the room and taking him in her arms. “Are you okay?”

Ben stiffened at the contact, letting her hug him for barely a second before he pulled back, holding her at arm’s length. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” 

He hadn’t quite snapped at her, but his expression was dark enough to give pause.

“Well, that didn’t exactly go over well in there.”

He waved her off with a dismissive gesture of his hand before turning back toward the windows. “People just don’t know what’s good for them. They’ll be thanking me in no time.”

Rey couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off here. He was barely looking at her, wouldn’t touch her, and seemed wholly uninterested in the fact that the majority of his staff was freaking out. 

“Ben, what’s going on?” She reached out to touch his arm, only to be immediately shaken off. 

When he finally turned to face her, his face was a carefully curated mask of regret, a little too perfect to be unrehearsed. “Rey, we need to talk.”

Her heart sank. Those were never good words coming from your boss or your boyfriend. And when they were one and the same? Well, that sounded like double trouble.

Without waiting for a response, he went on, “With the merger comes certain expectations. One of which being that I adhere to the strict morality clause that First Order Advertising imposes on their executives. If they catch wind of our relationship, the deal could fall through.” His face softened, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. “I’m not saying we need to break up, just keep this on the down low until all the papers are signed.”

“I thought we were already keeping this on the down low,” she said, hating how weak her voice sounded in the sterile office.

Ben ignored her. “Once the merger is complete, we can go through the formal process, disclose the relationship, and finally be out in the open. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

It was, that much was true. But something about this still didn’t feel right. She ignored her gut again, choosing to hang on to his words like a life raft. “So this is only temporary?”

Ben latched on to her tentative acceptance. “Yes, of course.” He pressed a soft kiss onto her forehead. “We just have to fly under the radar for a few more months.”

A few more months. Rey could do this. If nothing else, she was good at waiting.

Turned out, Ben’s idea of “flying under the radar” entailed him showing up at her house to sleep with her a few times a week, while insisting they couldn’t go out to dinner or be seen together outside of work.

“Babe, you know I want to,” he said one night as he stepped back into his pants. They had just finished, and he already had one foot out the door. “But we can’t risk it right now.”

Rey blinked back tears, yanking up the sheets to cover herself. “Ok, fine. But you don’t have to go. We can hang out here, order takeout…”

“That sounds amazing,” he said, putting on a regretful expression, “but I’ve got a late dinner with Barty and Armitage.” Fully dressed, he leaned over the bed to give her a lingering kiss. “Soon. I promise.”

Since when was he on a first name basis with Bartholomew Snoke and Armitage Hux? She put the question out of her mind.

“I miss you.”

At that, Ben gave her the most sincere look she’d gotten in weeks. “I miss you, too,” he said, the truth of it impossible to miss.

But then he was up and out, the click of the door shutting behind him sounding a whole hell of a lot like a dismissal.

Work was no better, the merger in full swing as representatives from First Order flooded the office, taking a census and evaluating positions. They sat in on everything, staff meetings, pitch meetings, conference calls, constantly taking notes and tallying who was valuable and who could be let go. 

Rey ignored them best she could, though morale was at an all time low. She had started to dread going to work in the morning, the mood in the office suffocating. Her peers dropped one by one, Snoke’s people cutting anyone who didn’t measure up to First Order’s impossible standards. 

She didn’t know much about acquisitions like this, but it sure seemed to be moving fast, more of a hostile takeover than an amicable merger. 

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Rey found herself summoned to Ben’s office. 

She knocked on the door, the EA refusing to make eye contact. Not that that was anything new. Ben’s assistant hated her for some reason, always had. At this point, Rey barely noticed it anymore. Ben’s voice beckoned her to enter.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Solo,” she said before stopping dead in her tracks. Next to Ben at the long board table that dominated one side of his office sat both Armitage Hux and Bartholomew Snoke, a neat stack of paperwork in front of each. “Mr. Snoke, Mr. Hux.” She acknowledged each.

“Please take a seat, Miss Kenobi,” said Snoke, gesturing to the chair opposite him. His voice was so oily Rey swore she could feel a film forming on her skin. 

She dropped into the offered seat, a neat folder bearing the logo of First Order Advertising already waiting for her. Snoke gestured for her to open it.

The words on the page made no sense.

Distantly, she heard Snoke’s words, but nothing quite registered. “As you can see, we’ve given you a handsome severance, along with career counseling and job placement assistance. You’ll keep your benefits through the end of the year, at which point you’ll be eligible for COBRA-”

“Severance?” she said, still not believing her eyes or ears. “Job placement? What is this?”

Snoke cleared his throat. “It’s unfortunate my dear, but your position has been eliminated. As I was saying-”

“But I’m a creative director. I just won the Sienar account. How is my position eliminated?” She looked toward Ben, who was conveniently refusing to make eye contact with her.

Hux fielded this one. “Well, as you know we are a rather large firm and have plenty of creative directors for every division. With you being the least senior of the directors, we decided this was for the best.”

Rey’s mind whirled. She’d been with Jedi Worldwide since graduation. Hell, she’d even interned here her junior and senior years. Her entire career, everything she’d worked so hard for, it was all gone, reduced to a single folder.

“Ben?” she looked up, pleading for him to intervene on her behalf. 

Twin spots of color appeared on his cheeks at her appeal, Ben turning from Snoke to Hux with a knowing look. “If you two could just give me a moment.”

Hux looked a little miffed but followed Snoke from the room, Ben waiting until the door clicked shut behind them to speak.

“Rey, I know this is hard-”

“What the hell, Ben? You promised me I’d be fine.” Rey’s mind reeled. Had he made her any promises? She could have sworn he did. But going back, she realized he’d done no such thing, instead telling her to wait, bide her time, dangling the prospect of a real relationship over her head to get her to acquiesce. 

“I’m sorry, Rey, our decision is final.”

Not their decision, _our_ decision. 

And just like that, her last shred of hope was lost. Ben wasn’t going to save her. Her mind rearranged under the new information, searching for any silver lining.

Then it dawned on her, relief flooding her system. She took a deep, calming breath like the teacher at yoga was always telling her to do. “I’m not going to pretend like this doesn’t suck, but at least we don’t have to hide anymore.” She gave him a shaky smile, reaching across the table for his hand. “We can be together, now.” 

Rey watched in disbelief as he extracted his hand from her reach. 

“About that.” He finally looked her in the eyes, his face devoid of any human emotion. “I think it best to distance myself from any former employees. The optics here are not good…”

This was not happening. No. “Please tell me you are not firing me and dumping me in the same meeting.”

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds heartless,” said Ben, leaning back in his chair and looking just that. “Better to think of it as a conscious uncoupling of both personal and professional interests. Believe me when I tell you I haven’t made these decisions lightly.”

“Wait, _you_ made the decision to eliminate my position?” Without quite realizing how she got there, Rey was on her feet. 

“Like I said, I did not make these decisions lightly.” The face she once thought unconventionally handsome was nothing less than hideous in this light, not a trace of the man she’d been with for the better part of three years. 

How had she been so stupid? Of course he was using her. He always liked the fact that she answered to him, that he had his position over her. Had she even deserved her promotion? Or was that just another way to make her feel indebted to him?

She grabbed the folder. “I’ll see myself out.”

“Rey!” he called after her, for what reason she couldn’t fathom. She ignored that and the look of pity from Ben’s EA, holding her head high as she walked back to her office.

As if in a trance, she packed her things, seven years of hard work and memories fitting in a single banker’s box. 

She’d built her entire life around the idea that she was somehow better than the people she’d left behind in her small town, that she was meant for more. Now it was seven years later, and what did she have to show for it? She was nearly 30 years old, single, unemployed. 

She didn’t wait for HR to show up, turning her badge in at the front desk and leaving her laptop docked in her office. They’d figure it out. 

So she walked out of Jedi Worldwide for the last time with only her folder and her box, holding her head high. She made it all the way to the train before she broke down.

Thank god she only had three stops to her apartment. The apartment she probably couldn’t afford anymore, thanks to Ben. That set her off again, tears streaming down her cheeks faster than she could swipe at them. She couldn’t believe she’d been reduced to this, crying alone on the subway at 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. 

She dropped the box as soon as she walked through the door, kicking off her heels as she went. The apartment was silent as always, no furry friends to greet her, no roommates to share with, not even a fucking houseplant to water. She picked up her phone, meaning to text someone, maybe get a drink, when she realized with a start that she didn’t have anyone to text. All her waking hours for the last three or so years had been spent either working or with Ben. The friends she’d had once upon a time had long since disappeared thanks to cancelled happy hour plans and declined invitations to dinner.

What had she done? She’d narrowed her entire world to Ben and work and given him the power to destroy both in one fell swoop. How had she been so stupid?

She scrolled through her phone, landing on the one contact that would pick up no matter what. 

When she’d left Yavin all those years ago, she’d vowed never to look back. And for the most part, she’d been successful. But now, she had nowhere else to turn.

The line buzzed once, twice, three times before a familiar voice picked up.

“Yello.”

She almost burst into tears at the familiar greeting. Ben Kenobi never answered any other way. “Uncle Ben?”

“Rey!” She heard some shuffling, imagining him stretching the cord of the antique rotary phone he insisted on using at the shop and taking a seat behind the counter. “What a pleasant surprise. Please tell me you’ve reconsidered about Thanksgiving.”

Oh, that’s right, tomorrow was Thanksgiving. A perfectly valid excuse to get out of the city and lick her wounds for a little while. 

She was already googling train times on her laptop.

“Yup. Can you pick me up at the station tonight at 9?”


	2. The Orphan's Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Thanksgiving Day and reunions abound as Rey and Uncle Ben host the holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! I normally wouldn't post so close together, but with today being actual Thanksgiving for those of us in the US, I couldn't resist sharing the Thanksgiving Day chapter. From here on out, I'll stick with my normal Monday/Thursday post schedule, barring any bad cases of writer's block.
> 
> I was in such a hurry to get the first chapter out that I completely forgot to send a shoutout to the folks in the Damerey Discord, especially MASD_1138 and Supremequeenofthenerds/damerey_knows, for helping me talk through the plot of this on more than one occasion. Without their awesome input, I'm really not sure what this story would look like.

The train ride from Coruscant to Yavin was only three hours, but it felt like the two were on completely different planets. Barely an hour out of the city and the landscape changed from busy streets and urban sprawl to idyllic pastures dotted with horses and cows. Not that she could see any of it in the late fall gloom. The sun practically set at 5pm these days.

She was headed home for the first time in 12 years.

What with the clusterfuck the day had become, she’d completely forgotten tomorrow was Thanksgiving until Uncle Ben picked up the phone. She couldn’t help but appreciate his optimism. For 12 years she’d turned down every opportunity to come to Yavin, instead opting to bring her uncle into the city for their yearly visits, and still he invited her every single year. He hadn’t even sounded surprised when she accepted, simply launching into an explanation that there was always too much food and plenty of place settings like this had been the plan all along. They’d quickly made arrangements for him to pick her up at the station before hanging up, Rey not wanting to deliver bad news over the phone. There’d be plenty of time for that over the long weekend. 

She’d thrown a few things into a bag and grabbed her laptop, trying not to think too hard about how her life was crumbling around her. Taking one last look at her perfectly curated apartment, she locked the door behind her, feeling for all the world like she’d just closed a chapter on her life.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but as the train drew closer to the station, a pit opened in her stomach. What had she been thinking? She’d left this part of herself behind long ago. 

Rey had spent her early years bouncing from foster home to foster home in Central London until Uncle Ben had found her. Her absentee mother’s uncle, Uncle Ben had emigrated to the U.S. back in the late 70s, settling in a small town outside of Coruscant and opening a bookshop. Rey had no idea how he found her, only that he showed up shortly before her 8th birthday like a guardian angel and brought her back to America to live with him. 

So Rey had grown up in an old Victorian house on a shady lane, spending her evenings and weekends perusing her Uncle’s shop and reading to her heart’s content. She loved her uncle fiercely, but as she grew older she grew restless, small town life proving too small for her after spending her earliest years in the heart of London. The city called to her. 

Uncle Ben had always indulged her, taking her into Coruscant to see a play or to watch the giant Christmas tree get lit up the day after Thanksgiving. But twice yearly visits weren’t enough, and when it came time to apply for colleges, Coruscant U quickly became her first choice.

The day she got the acceptance letter was both the happiest and hardest of her life. There were decisions to be made, ones that affected more than just her. She wasn’t without friends; her roots went deep here.

In the end, it was harder than she’d thought it would be to leave. But she always knew she was destined for greater things than being a farmer’s wife.

The train shuddered to a stop, the announcement that they had arrived at the station breaking Rey out of her memories. And just in time. Her day was already shitty enough. She didn’t need to dwell on Poe Dameron, too.

Grabbing her bag, she made her way down the aisle and onto the platform. There was a crowd gathered, this station servicing many of the small towns dotting the area. All around her, families greeted each other, Rey searching every face in the crowd.

There, standing off to the side, his grey beard neatly trimmed and wearing his signature tweed jacket complete with elbow patches, stood Uncle Ben. His smile went wide when he saw her, Rey stepping in to his open arms.

The scent of leather and pipesmoke enveloped her, something tight in her chest loosening at the familiar smell. It felt good to be home.

“There, there, let me get a look at you,” said Uncle Ben, holding her at arm’s length. “Goodness, do they feed you in that city? It looks like a stiff wind could blow you over, child.”

Rey laughed, trying not to roll her eyes. “You know I run, Uncle Ben.”

He grabbed her bag, slinging it over his shoulder while he wrapped an arm around hers. “I know you run, but do you eat? Speaking of, did you have dinner? We can stop at the diner if you’re hungry.”

Rey’s stomach chose that moment to gargle audibly. When was the last time she ate? She had some overnight oats for breakfast. Lunch had been completely forgotten thanks to a conference call, then all that nastiness with Ben and Snoke and Hux had taken her appetite away. But now, she realized she was starving.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Uncle Ben, leading her out to the parking lot. “I could do with a burger and a milkshake myself.”

He waited until they were in his vintage Jag and headed toward town before he pounced. “As glad as I am to have you home, out with it, dear. Something must have happened to bring you back to Yavin.”

Rey’s heart sank. No matter how dumb he played on the phone, of course he knew something was up. Rey hadn’t been back since before she graduated college. Nothing short of disaster would bring her here, and they both knew it.

“I got fired.”

The car swerved slightly before righting itself. “Fired? Because of that merger business? I thought that boyfriend of yours was watching out for you!”

Rey laughed, the sound bitter to her ears. “Yeah, turns out I’m fresh out of those, too.” Her heart gave a lurch. Three years she’d wasted with Ben, and all she had to show for it was a severance package and a broken heart. 

Uncle Ben shook his head. “Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not.”

“Oh, Rey.” He took one hand off the steering wheel to squeeze her own. “You get two milkshakes.” 

This time her laugh was real.

Like everything else in this town where time stood still, the diner was exactly as she remembered it. Most people passing through thought it was one of those kitschy retro places, with the dressed up waitresses and a menu straight out of the movie Grease. What they didn’t realize is that it had probably been exactly the same since it opened sometime in the 50s. It just had just been biding its time until it was cool again.

Luckily, the burgers were still amazing.

Rey polished hers off in record time (along with both a chocolate and a vanilla milkshake), Uncle Ben watching her with wide eyes.

“What?” she asked, leaning back as she took the final sip of her vanilla shake.

He looked down at his own half-finished plate. “Nothing, nothing at all. Just making sure I don’t lose a hand if I keep it on the table too long.”

She rolled her eyes at him, ever the exasperated daughter, but secretly she loved his bad dad jokes and the quiet way he always knew how to make her feel better. They may have been barely related by blood, but they were a family in the truest sense of the word. 

When the check came, he handed her a crisp $20 bill. “Be a dear and take the check up, will you? I need to go ask Wedge and Norra something.”

Rey lifted her hand toward the Antilles where they sat in the corner booth before taking the check and money to the register. $13.85 for two burgers with fries and three milkshakes. You could barely get a cup of coffee for that in Coruscant. Maybe small town living wasn’t so bad after all.

Rey got in line behind a man with dark hair picking up a pie from the counter. She had 10 seconds to recognize the voice before he turned around and Rey was face to face with Poe Dameron for the first time since she broke his heart over a decade ago.

It took him a second to recognize her, not that she was surprised. Twelve years had done a lot to change her from the round-cheeked, wide-eyed girl he probably remembered.

“Rey?”

Twelve years had had their effect on Poe as well. Gone was the baby faced boy who could barely grow a five o’clock shadow, replaced with the full-bearded man in front of her. He was still slightly taller than her, an inch, maybe two, but broad and muscled and definitely no stranger to the gym. Dark curls spilled over his forehead, longer than he used to wear them, but still carefully styled. The beard was trimmed neat, but thick, so thick she realized it probably took him less than a week to grow. The comparison to Ben’s anemic facial hair was automatic and unwanted. He'd tried to grow a beard once, two weeks’ growth coming in scraggly and patchy until he gave up and shaved it off at her suggestion.

They both stood in silence staring at each other until Uncle Ben walked up. 

“Poe! Here to pick up the pie for tomorrow? I see you’ve already found our surprise guest! Just picked her up from the train.”

Shit, she’d completely forgotten that they’d always spent Thanksgiving with the Damerons and Ticos and Calrissians. Uncle Ben’s penchant for adopting strays was second to none, especially around the holidays.

Poe looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Uh, yeah. Great to see you, Rey. And I’ll be seeing you again. Tomorrow. You too, Mr. Kenobi.” He blinked, Rey wondering if he was having an aneurysm or a stroke. “Bye.”

He was out the door with his pie before Rey could even register his departure, Uncle Ben swatting her shoulder. 

“Did you even say a single word to that boy?” He grabbed the twenty and check from her and handed it over to the woman at the counter, who just so happened to be their waitress. “Keep the change.”

Boy was not the word she’d use to describe Poe Dameron. At least, not anymore. But that was besides the point at the moment.

“Forgive me, I was a little shocked by his sudden appearance,” she said as they walked out the door. “You do realize you gave her like 70% tip, right?”

Uncle Ben waved her off. “They work hard there. She earned it.”

Rey refrained from rolling her eyes. Uncle Ben had always been too generous for his own good, something Rey herself had benefited from on more than one occasion. “God, what are the odds that I’m not in town for half an hour before I run into him?”

“Ah, the joys of living in a small town, I suppose.”

Joy was not the word Rey would use.

The guests arrived at 1 o’clock sharp.

Dinner wouldn’t be served until two, but anyone worth their salt knew that one hour was the proper time to enjoy snacks and drinks and company aplenty so that when you actually finished the meal, you’d be so stuffed you could barely move. This was the way. 

So Rey and Uncle Ben spent the morning running around like chickens with their heads cut off, setting the table, whipping the mashed potatoes, seasoning the bird, all while Rey chugged black coffee in an effort to stay conscious. Though she had finally found sleep as the sun peeked through the curtains of her childhood bedroom, she’d been woken by a crash from the kitchen around 10 and hadn’t sat down since.

Rather than be annoyed, she was grateful for the distraction, the activity keeping her thoughts from straying too close to the ones that kept her up that night. 

Over and over, the same question went through her head. How could she be so stupid?

Just two days ago, she’d been successful. Independent. Living her own personal dream in the city she loved. And now she was back in the town she’d left at 18 and never looked back, sleeping in her old lumpy twin bed. 

When she’d arrived in the kitchen that morning, it had been a disaster, pots and pans covering every available surface while three burners went on the stove, one smoking ominously. Uncle Ben flitted from one end of the kitchen to the other, getting halfway through washing a pan before running over to stir the smoking concoction on the stove.

“Everything all right in here?” asked Rey, automatically walking to the sink to finish cleaning the pan. 

He was off again, this time crossing over to a mixing bowl on the table. “Of course, my dear. You know how these things are. Always darkest before the dawn.” Looking around for a second, he grabbed a whisk left discarded on the counter, whipping whatever was in the bowl. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“No,” she lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings, “I was already up.” She held up a pot containing some kind of congealed cheese or gravy, trying not to think about it too hard. “You done with this?”

“Yes.” He dumped the contents of the bowl into one of the pans then handed it off to Rey at the sink. It was amazing how quickly they fell into old patterns, Uncle Ben creating his masterpieces, while Rey cleaned up behind him. “How did you sleep? I heard you tossing and turning in the wee hours.”

“Not great,” she answered, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn spot of baked-on goo. It wasn’t glamorous work, but she was glad to have something to focus on. 

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Rey sighed, dropping the now clean pot into the drying rack. “I was dumb and naive. That’s all there is to it.”

“Rey.” Uncle Ben’s voice held a warning tone. “You are many things, dumb and naive not among them.” 

“I thought I could fix him, make him love a nobody like me if I just tried hard enough. That sounds pretty dumb to me.”

“Enough. I won’t have you slandering my favorite person in the universe,” he said, a smile in his voice. A strong arm wrapped around her slightly shaking shoulders. “It sounds like he was a real jackass, which is a him problem, not a you problem.”

“But the job-”

“It’s a shame about the job, not about the man. Good riddance to that boy.”

She laughed in spite of herself, which was obviously the point of Uncle Ben’s little speech. He gave her one final squeeze before going back to his culinary masterpiece in the making. “Now, you stir this, while I baste the bird. People will be here in three hours! Time is a-wasting.”

And now they were here, the doorbell ringing just as Rey put the final touch on her outfit.

It had been slim pickings, the bag she’d brought containing a mismatch of clothes that she could only blame on her state of mind when she packed it. Why she would need three $200 wool pencil skirts in backcountry Yavin, she had no idea, but she made it work. Digging a pair of old tights out of her closet, she’d paired the black skirt with a soft maroon sweater, completing the look with the pair of heels she’d worn during her exodus. Her only other options were running shoes or an old pair of work boots, so it was pure luck that she’d kept the heels on when she left the city.

Rey walked down the steps in time to watch Uncle Ben open the door for Poe and Kes Dameron.

Poe looked up, their eyes connecting instantly. She froze midway down the stairs, hand a death grip on the original mahogany banister. 

“Ah, yes. Poe already got a sneak peek of our special guest at the diner last night. Maybe she’ll even speak this time. Come join us, dear.” Uncle Ben gestured for her to come forward, Rey’s motions automatic as she took the rest of the steps. 

The assembled group looked at her expectantly.

“Hi,” she practically breathed, heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Absently, she thought of what the doctor had told her about stress and the hole it was eating in her stomach. “Uh, Happy Thanksgiving?”

“As eloquent as ever, dear. Glad to see that $120,000 education hard at work.”

For a second, Rey forgot to be terrified at the prospect of spending an entire day with Poe Dameron, swatting at her uncle while he laughed. “Hey! Watch it, old man. I can still talk circles around you.”

Laughter filled the hall, the earlier tension lifting. Her uncle’s smirk told her that had been the plan all along.

Kes wrapped her in a solid hug. “Good to see you, Rey. And looking so dressed up! Between that and the accent, I thought I was meeting the queen for a second there.”

She laughed politely, willing her face not to heat. Back in Coruscant, her accent was nothing special, just one among a million others in the great melting pot. But in Yavin, her and Uncle Ben’s crisp British consonants were something of a novelty, even all these years later.

And true, the heels were a bit much, if her only option, but she wouldn’t exactly consider a skirt and a sweater “dressing up.” But she supposed that it was for Yavin, where putting on your “good jeans” for the holiday meant something.

Sure enough, both Dameron men were in those good jeans, Kes’s paired with a flannel while Poe wore a sweater that looked nearly as soft as hers. 

About the time it would have gotten awkward, Uncle Ben stepped in. “Kes, Poe, let me grab your coats. Rey how about you show Poe where to put the pie.” He was gone a second later, Kes in tow, leaving Poe and Rey to stare at each other in the entry hall.

“Uh, kitchen’s this way.” She pointed in the general direction. Then it dawned on her. “But of course, you know that already,” she said with a laugh. Dear god, how was it that she could give a flawless pitch in front of 100 executives with no problem, but she couldn’t say five words to the man in front of her without losing her cool? “Shit. This is going to be harder than I thought.”

“Does it have to be?” 

Rey’s head shot up, Poe smiling at whatever crossed her face. His eyes crinkled at the corners now, and Rey had a hard time trying to not find it endearing. Absently, she wondered if it was like that for him, too, seeing her for the first (technically second) time in years, all the little differences jumping out at him.

“You’re just all of a sudden okay with this? Over it after all these years?”

Poe gave a wry laugh, shaking his head. “Not sure you ever get over your high school sweetheart handing your mother’s wedding ring back to you with a polite ‘no, thank you.’”

There it was. The truth she’d been running from for 12 years, set at her feet. And it had only taken five minutes.

Thankfully, Poe wasn’t done yet. “But I’ve made my peace with it. Listen, that was a lifetime ago. We were babies; I can see that now. Let’s just get through the day, and worry about the rest later.”

She didn’t want to believe it, it almost felt too good to be true, but his face matched the sincerity of the words. A smile spread across her face. “I think I can manage that.”

He gestured toward the kitchen. “Then lead the way.”

Rey took the pie from him as soon as they hit the kitchen, busying herself with unboxing it and displaying it on the counter before finding herself face-to-face with Poe once again. 

“Uh, can I get you something to drink?” she asked, figuring if nothing else, she could fall back on her manners.

Poe leaned against the kitchen island, looking more at home here than she was. Then again, he’d probably been here a lot more over the last few years than she had. “Sure, whatever you’re having is fine.”

“Red wine?” 

“Perfect.”

Interesting. She wouldn’t have pegged Poe as a wine drinker, then again, the last time she’d drank with Poe they’d been 18 and throwing back Nattie Lights in the bed of Finn’s truck. A lot could have changed since then.

The recently cleared air did nothing to lessen the awkwardness of the situation, Rey hyperaware of every move as she went through the kitchen, first looking for the corkscrew, then selecting a bottle of wine, before finally opening and pouring two large glasses. 

When she finally handed him his glass, Poe raised it for a toast. “To fresh starts.” One eyebrow quirked up, as if daring her to say it back.

They both knew that Rey was never one to back down from a challenge.

“To fresh starts.”

Their glasses pinged cheerfully when they met over the island, Rey taking a hearty sip of wine immediately. Fortified, she looked toward the doorway in time to see Uncle Ben enter with more of their guests in tow. 

Finn Calrissian stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her, his father immediately crashing into him from behind.

“Jesus, Finn, why’d you stop?” said Lando, mouth dropping open when he finally noticed her.

“Surpise!” said Uncle Ben, completely ignoring the tension in the room. “It’s Rey. Rey is our special guest this year.” He looked around the room, finally seeming to sense that something major was brewing between the younger generation. “You know what, I’ve got Kes in my study with a nice scotch. We should go join him, let the youngsters catch up.”

They were gone before Rey could protest, leaving her to face a very angry Finn.

“Surprise? I’m back,” she said weakly, Finn’s face never moving from its stony anger.

Without so much as acknowledging her, he turned to Poe. “Hey man, Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Please, Finn…” she plead, hating how pathetic her voice sounded.

Finn turned on her faster than Rey’s eyes could track. “No. You don’t get to waltz in here and “Please Finn” me. Not after 12 years.”

That was… fair, if a little harsh. And here she’d thought the reunion with Poe would be the toughest of the bunch.

To Rey’s great surprise, it was Poe who stepped in. “Hey, you don’t need to do that on my behalf.” He gave her an encouraging smile before turning back to Finn. “Rey and I came to an understanding.”

Her chest constricted at the gesture. But that was Poe Dameron for you, always better than anyone - especially Rey - deserved.

“I appreciate that, but you weren’t the only one she left back then.”

Rey nodded, unable to stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. She couldn’t even be mad about it. He was right. She had taken off for college and never looked back. 

There was more to it, of course there was, but that didn’t seem to matter 12 years later. It had started as self preservation. No way could she face her friends after turning down Poe’s proposal. She’d just stay away until things cooled down. Then one month turned into a year and one year became five and before she knew what was happening, it was 12 years later.

But Poe had always been the peacemaker among them, and he wasn’t done yet. “Ok, ok, but hear me out.” He was using that voice, the one he saved for when he really wanted something. The one that people couldn’t say no to. “It’s one day. I’m pretty sure we can all manage to sit around and drink wine and play nice for one day.”

Poe’s smile proved powerful enough to even thaw out Finn’s frozen heart. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Finn finally turned to look at her. “Truce?” 

Rey looked down at his outstretched hand, the gesture unmistakable. There was no hesitation when she accepted it. “Truce.”

“Now, let’s get Finn some wine and get this show on the road,” said Poe, all smiles now that no one was fighting.

As she turned to grab the bottle of wine, Rey’s eye caught the clock on the wall. Still an hour until dinner. Shit, this was gonna be a long day.

The annual Orphan’s Thanksgiving was a tradition dating back as far as Rey could remember. Or at least for as far back as she’d lived with Uncle Ben. Much like Poe (which was something Rey didn’t care to dwell on), Uncle Ben loved to bring people together. When combined with a penchant for picking up strays, they ended up with the Orphan’s Thanksgiving.

Not that everyone who attended was an orphan. Only Rey and the Tico Sisters (and she supposed the older generation as well, though theirs was a distinctly different flavor) could claim that title. No, the Orphan’s Thanksgiving was for the small families, the people who only had one or two to celebrate, to give them a chance at a real Thanksgiving. Turkey for two was a sin, according to Uncle Ben.

Once Rose and her sister Paige arrived, things really took off, the truce uneasy but lasting through cocktails, dinner, and dessert. In fact, Rey had almost forgotten the earlier scene with Finn until it was time to go.

The goodbyes were long and drawn out, Rose hugging her no less than three times in the course of five minutes. 

“I’m not kidding, you better stay in touch this time!” Rose had accepted her instantly, no questions asked. “You have my cell, right? Good. I fully plan to take you up on that offer to crash on your couch next summer when I come down.”

Rey couldn’t help but smile. She’d genuinely missed Rose. “I’ll be there. I can give you the local’s tour of the city, show you all the things the tourists miss.”

“But you’re not a local, you’re from here!” said Rose, completely missing the point. “Anyway, I’ve been looking up some excellent Sex and the City tours…”

To her credit, Rey did not wince at the suggestion. If Rose wanted crap pandering to tourists, who was she to object?

“Rose, come on,” said Paige from the front porch, keys jangling impatiently from one hand. “I thought you were saying goodbye.”

Rose gave her one final squeeze before following her sister to the car, leaving Rey with only Finn and Poe for company. She turned toward them, not quite in the conversation, but not _not_ in the conversation either.

“You working tomorrow, man?” asked Finn, clapping Poe on the back.

Poe shook his head. “Nah, production’s shut down for the holiday.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“Oh, where do you work?” asked Rey, genuinely curious. She realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. That was a safe question, for anyone but them. Back in the day, that had been the sticking point, what Poe would do with his life versus what Rey wanted out of hers. Two wildly different answers with no compromise in sight.

Finn and Poe exchanged a loaded look before Poe answered, “Down at the old furniture factory.”

She cocked her head. “I thought that closed back when we were in high school.”

“Uh, it actually reopened a few years ago. New company in town,” explained Finn, giving one final look to Poe. “Anyway, I’m out of here. I know it may have not come across, but it was good to see you, Rey. Don’t be a stranger.” The hug was brief and more than a little awkward, but it was a hug nonetheless. Rey wasn’t in a position to be picky these days.

And then there were two. 

Technically, there were four, but Kes and Uncle Ben were deep in conversation about weather patterns and crop yield, leaving Rey and Poe to once again face the music. And each other.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” he said, jamming his hands into his pockets. “See, I told you we could do it.”

Rey laughed, her own hands hovering awkwardly where a pocket would be. Stupid women’s clothes. “Yeah, and it was only the most awkward day of my life.”

“Hey, I said we could do it, not that it would be easy.” There was a sparkle in his eyes as he smiled at her, eyes doing that crinkle thing again. Rey didn’t want to look away.

“Come on, Poe, I thought you said you needed to let Bee out?”

Realizing she’d been staring, Rey jumped back, looking up in enough time to watch Poe do the same.

“Uh, yeah. We better get going. I’m sure she’s doing the potty dance by now.” He ran a hand through his curls, the hair sticking straight up in some places. 

Kes pulled her into one of his bear hugs hugs. “It was so good to see you, kid. Now that you’ve been back, maybe we’ll see you at Christmas this year. Poe’s hosting.”

The thought of spending Christmas alone in her apartment suddenly left her feeling empty and sad and not a little pathetic. Had she really spent all these years thinking that was somehow better? Noticing her uncle’s hopeful look, she shook off the feeling. She needed to make it through one holiday before worrying about the next.

“Yeah, maybe,” she answered, stepping back. 

And then there was Poe.

They’d already said everything they needed to, so he simply shrugged and opened his arms for a hug. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

She only hesitated for a second before stepping into his arms, letting herself be enveloped by his solid warmth for the first time in over a decade. It felt like coming home in a way that stepping off the train or getting a burger at the diner couldn’t even touch. 

“It really was good to see you, Rey,” he whispered into her ear, sounding a little surprised in spite of himself.

“You too, Poe. You too.”

Then they were stepping back, Poe giving one final wave before catching up with his dad in the driveway. Uncle Ben closed the door behind them.

Rey’s heart continued to thunder against her chest. Looking up, she found Uncle Ben's eyes on her. “What?”

He shook his head, a knowing grin playing across his lips. “Nothing, dear. Nothing at all.”


	3. The Annual Yavin Treelighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finishes out her weekend in Yavin, but Uncle Ben has other ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely, kind words about the first couple of chapters. I got a little bit of hate on the first chapter, and honestly wasn't sure I could keep writing this, but your comments have re-inspired me! And after watching way too many Hallmark movies over the holiday weekend, I'm so excited to share the rest of what I have planned for this. Hope you enjoy!

The rest of the weekend flew by in a flurry of activity.

When Friday dawned bright and chilly, Uncle Ben declared it the perfect day to go pick a Christmas tree.

“But don’t you have to open the shop?” asked Rey over her third cup of coffee. Uncle Ben had insisted she eat two plates of eggs and bacon, so for once the bitter brew wasn’t eating a hole in her nearly empty stomach.

He waved her off. “I haven’t opened on Black Friday in years. Small Business Saturday is my biggest day of the year. And anyway, if we don’t go today all the good ones will be taken!”

Rey wasn’t sure about that, but who was she to argue? 

So twenty minutes later they found themselves at the edge of town, pulling into the field that acted as a parking lot for Tico’s Tree Farm. Rose’s family had owned this farm for generations, Rose and Paige taking over when their parents died in a car crash years ago. Well, technically it was Paige who came home from college in order to keep the family business alive, all while becoming the guardian of a 14-year-old Rose. Though, if the changes in the farm were any indication, it looked like Rose now had a hand in the business.

What had once been a pretty simple tree farm - pull in, select a pre-cut tree, strap it to your roof and be on your way - was now a cut your own tree extravaganza, complete with a corn maze for the kids, hot cider and cocoa, and a small petting farm. A tractor pulled hay rides through the fields, a sign boasting real sleigh rides after the first snow. There had to be over a hundred cars, more pulling in every second. 

“Whoa,” said Rey as they exited the Jag. The air had a bite to it, and she had never been more glad that Uncle Ben had kept one of her old, down coats in the front closet. 

“Told you,” he answered, heading toward the main barn. “Come on, let’s go see a woman about a tree.”

“Uncle Ben! Rey!” They weren’t even halfway across the yard when they heard their names called. Rey turned to find Rose waving at them from the edge of the goat enclosure.  It was a shock to hear someone else call Uncle Ben by that name, but if memory served, it had always been that way. Nearly everyone in town called him that.

“Rose, what have you got for us this year?” Uncle Ben threw an arm around her shoulders, despite the distinctly goat-y smell coming off her. 

Rose leaned in conspiratorially. “Well, I scoped out the cream of the crop this morning and roped off a few that are just your type.”

Uncle Ben rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Excellent, lead the way. Oh wait, I left my saw in the trunk.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty in the barn for guests to use.” Rose gestured toward the barn just behind her. Sure enough, people were lining up to get maps and saws from Paige. Noticing their attention, she waved before turning back to the next customer.

“Thank you, dear, but I’d prefer to grab my own. Tradition and all that. I’ll be back in a jiff.” With that he was gone, headed back to the car to grab his saw.

Rey turned to Rose. “Man, this is some operation you’ve got here.”

Rose smiled, pleased with the compliment. “I know, right? When my parents died, this place was really struggling. It was all Paige could do just to keep us afloat. But once I got back from college, I saw what other farms were doing and thought ‘why can’t we do that?’ So we did, only better. Poe, of course, built the sleigh and the various stands for us, and the rest is history. Had to put that hospitality management degree to good use somehow, might as well save the family farm in the process.”

“This is truly amazing, Rose.” Rey didn’t even have to pretend to be impressed. Not that Rose was smart, Rose had always been one of the brightest among them, but that she had built all this from a struggling Christmas tree lot. Everywhere she looked there was some detail to be noticed. The Instagram wall on the side of the barn. A Santa meet and greet in the small barn. Posters proclaiming a wreath-making class next weekend. Rey decided to ignore the mention of Poe. He really was everyone in this town. “Hospitality management, huh? You ever thought of working in the city? They are always looking for people with your talents.”

“With a double major in marketing,” added Rose with a smirk. “But no, I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

Uncle Ben returned that moment, saw in hand, saving Rey from saying something stupid. But as Rose led them into the field, Rey couldn’t help but wonder what that must feel like. The knowledge that you were exactly where you were supposed to be, doing exactly what you were meant to do. Rey had thought she needed to go to Coruscant to find her true destiny, but maybe she had just been young and blind and a little stuck up. Maybe the belonging she sought wasn’t in front of her, but behind her, here in Yavin.

The thought stayed with her as they picked what Uncle Ben declared the perfect tree (“You’ve done it again, Rose!”) and managed to strap it to the top of the Jag with the help of one of Rose’s workers.

Somehow, between the two of them, they were able to get the tree off the car and into the house, setting it up in the front room. It really was the perfect tree, straight and well-proportioned, it’s boughs and branches full without a bare patch in sight. They spent the rest of the evening decorating it from the boxes Rey had dragged from the attic.

“Uncle Ben, do we really need five popsicle stick reindeer on the tree?” It wasn’t like their tree was worthy of a spread in Better Homes and Gardens, more a mishmash of homemade and collected ornaments that spanned the years, but you had to draw a line somewhere.

For his part, Uncle Ben looked scandalized. “You made these! Of course they all go on the tree!”

Rey picked one up, the popsicle sticks crooked and one googly eye missing. “I know, but some of these are pretty rough. Arts and crafts were never one of my specialties.”

“Enough,” he said, snatching the damaged deer out of her hand. “My tree, my rules, and I say all art projects go on.”

Rey could recognize defeat when it was staring her in the face.

It was the best she’d felt in months, joking with Uncle Ben, stuffing herself on leftovers, the feeling carrying over to the next day in the shop.

A New Chapter was like a second home to Rey growing up, where she spent countless hours reading and browsing and eventually working for some extra pocket money. The shop was carefully organized chaos, the system only known to Uncle Ben. He carried much of the standard fare, bestsellers, paperbacks, fancy journals that people bought and never used, but his real specialty was rare or unique books.  First editions, signed copies, out of print titles, Uncle Ben had them all. His shop was where you went when you needed something special.

Stepping through the door was like stepping back in time, everything exactly as she remembered down to the old book smell, except…

“Are these new?” she asked, running a hand over the bookcases behind the counter that held the rarest of Uncle Ben’s finds. They had a vintage look about them, but were in far too good of shape to be a flea market find. 

Uncle Ben looked from the stack of books he was inventorying. “Oh yes, Poe made those for me. One of his private designs. The new counter is his work as well.”

Poe. Of course, that name would follow her everywhere in this town. First with Rose and the farm, now with Uncle Ben. What else did he build around here?

But even she had to admit it was good work. The wood was flawless, the dark stain perfection, the style something at once modern and timeless. Retro looking furniture like this was all the rage right now; in fact, her apartment was nearly full of it. She was still marveling at the craftsmanship when the little bell over the door jingled.

Standing in the doorway was Finn, a carefully neutral expression on his face. 

“Oh. Hi, Rey.”

She’d take neutral over yelling any day of the week, but that didn’t mean it was any less awkward to see him in the wild. 

Finn had been like a brother to her from the second she stepped foot in Yavin. Her very first friend, they had been inseparable, always getting into trouble - with Poe’s help of course. As they grew older, she swore the adults took bets on which of them she would choose, but for the three of them, it had never even been a question. Finn was family. Poe was something else entirely.

Then she chose Coruscant over Poe and ruined everything.  Though, maybe not all was lost.

“Hey, Finn.”

“Finn!” came Uncle Ben’s voice from the back room. “I have that book for your father right here.” There was a shuffling behind her before Uncle Ben emerged and handed over a small, leatherbound book. “Here we are! First edition.”

Finn turned the book over in his hands. “Thanks, Uncle Ben. Dad’s going to love this.”

“Be a dear and ring Finn up for me,” said Uncle Ben, handing over a payment slip and promptly disappearing in the back. Rey took one look and gulped at the price listed. Finn must be doing very well for himself, indeed.

Neither spoke as Rey rang him up and took his payment, the credit card machine pinging its acceptance cheerfully. She was frankly a little impressed with how advanced the shop had become. The last time she’d worked here, they still took carbon copies of every credit card and called them in.

“Here you go,” she said, handing over the receipt. “Would you like a bag?”

“Nah, I’m going straight home.” Finn gave her a soft smile, both of them running out of words. The truce was holding, but it didn’t make things any less awkward. "Uh, thanks."

Finn turned to walk from the shop, stopping just short of the door. “You know, a few of us are going to watch the tree lighting in town square tonight.” He turned to face her, hesitating a second before finishing, “You’re welcome to join.”

Rey didn’t dare to hope. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. When things seemed too good to be true, that’s exactly what they were. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’ll be fun to get the gang back together.” Finn nodded, as if he was trying to convince himself as well. “5 o’clock in front of the diner?”

“I’ll be there.”

With a final nod, Finn was out the door, the bell tinkling a goodbye.

Rey waited a breath before saying, “You can come out now.”

Uncle Ben was there in a second. “Look at that, just like old times.”

_ In more ways than one, _ thought Rey, a wry smile on her face. Out loud she said, “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

As per usual, Uncle Ben ignored her cynicism. “Now, out! You must get ready for the evening.”

“It’s one o’clock!”

“Exactly, I know how long it takes.” Rey wanted to be offended, but he wasn’t exactly exaggerating. “Away, away,” he said, gently pushing her out from the counter and toward the door. Thankfully, the house was walking distance from the shop. 

“Okay, okay, I’m going! No need to push me the whole way.” She grabbed her purse from where she set it next to the counter and made for the door on her own steam.

“And Rey?” 

She paused with one hand on the door, turning to face Uncle Ben and his all-too-innocent expression. “Yes?”

“Maybe leave the heels at home tonight.”

Not wanting to dignify that with a response, she rolled her eyes before pushing out the door and into the street.

At 4:45 sharp, she stood outside the diner, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Uncle Ben had been right, it had taken her forever to put together an appropriate outfit, finally settling on her good jeans (which she got a laugh out of) and another soft sweater from the back of her closet. The old down coat completed the look, comfort in the cold winning out over the cuteness of the wool coat she’d brought from the city. It felt like she was playing dress-up, Small Town Barbie out for the night, but she didn’t want to stick out anymore than necessary. 

As the minutes ticked down, she wondered if it had been some kind of elaborate joke - make the idiot city girl wait in front of the most visible spot in town for a group that wasn’t coming. She hadn’t wanted to be the last one here, but somehow this felt worse, preying on all of her worst fears. 

At five minutes to, and just about the time Rey was ready to give up, she heard her name called from down the street.

“Rey!” shouted Rose, picking up her pace to close the final distance. “You came! When Finn texted, I thought for sure you would change your mind.”

Rey tried not to be offended at the implication that she was flaky or mean despite all the evidence pointing to just that. She had disappeared for more than a decade. Was it so hard to imagine her canceling a last-minute plan? 

“Nope, I’m here. I was getting worried that you guys had changed your minds.” 

Rose waved off her concern. “No, the boys are just pathologically late. Somehow, the woman who lives 20 minutes outside of town is always on time and the two who live literally down the street show up five minutes late.” Rose rubbed her hands together before digging into her coat pocket for thick pair of woolen mittens. “But thank god you’re here. I love the guys, but if I have to spend one more night listening to them bitch about football, I’m gonna lose it.”

Rey laughed, the sound light in her ears. Her laugh tended to be weaker in the city, downplayed, watered down for the masses. She chose not to think about that too closely.

“Speak of the devils,” said Rose, Rey following her gaze to where Poe and Finn were crossing the street toward them.

Poe’s curls poked out from underneath chunky knit hat, his beard a little wilder than it had been on Thanksgiving, lending some credence to her theory about how fast it grew. A matching handmade scarf wound around his throat, covering the exposed skin. Finn was equally bundled up, his scarf and hat mismatched and most definitely store bought.

She was glad she decided against form over function herself, the temperature still steadily dropping with the sun. It would be full dark in less than a half hour, the tree lighting a half hour after that. Though she already regretted forgoing the hat in favor of not messing up her hair. It was cold.

“Timely as ever, boys,” said Rose, dripping with sarcasm. “Come on, I want to get cocoa before the lighting starts.”

“Yes, because it’s such a far walk,” joked Finn, earning a playful shove from Rose. 

He shoved back and a second later they were walking toward the town square, hand-in-hand.

Rey stopped dead in her tracks, throwing Poe a shocked look. “Wait, are they together?”

“For years now. I would ask where you’ve been, but we both know the answer to that.” He gave her a look that she was probably meant to laugh at, but she was still too shocked to do much more than stare. “I keep waiting for him to pop the question, but they seem happy like this. Are you really that shocked?”

“I mean, Rose made it sound like she was a third wheel for you two.”

Poe laughed, the sound seemingly coming from his toes. “Definitely the other way around.”

They had started walking down the street to catch up with the other two when something dawned on her. “Wait, what about Thanksgiving? Were they hiding it?”

“I mean, they were holding hands under the table for half the meal.” He laughed again at something that crossed her face. “You really aren’t that observant, are you?”

Rey swatted at him, trying and failing not to laugh. “I’ll have you know, I was busy trying not to die of awkwardness the whole meal.”

“Fair point." He gave her a strange look. "You're shivering."

She was a little shocked to find that yes, he was correct. She shrugged. "It's cold."

"Didn't you bring a hat?"

"Couldn't find one in enough time," she lied smoothly. No need to admit the truth.

"Here," he said, handing over his own hat as they finally came up behind Finn and Rose, already in line for cocoa.

She held the hat in her hand, hesitating. "But what about you? Won't you be cold?"

He waved her off. "Nah, I run hot. Cocoa?”

“Do they have coffee?” Her stomach would hate her, but the thought of drinking something with that much sugar made her teeth ache.

So with a coffee in hand (courtesy of Poe, which she chose not to think about) and warm in her borrowed hat (also courtesy of Poe), she followed them to the square where a giant tree sat waiting to be lit. 

It had to be at least 50 feet tall, not the tallest seen, not by a long shot, but pretty good for the size of the square. 

“God, it was such a bitch to get that up,” commented Rose, taking a hearty sip of cocoa. She shook her head as she looked at the tree. “Damn thing nearly took out City Hall at one point.”

“Wait, that’s one of yours?” Rey didn’t try to hide the incredulous tone of her voice. They had been all through the farm and she hadn’t seen anything that tall or majestic.

“Yeah, we have a special place at the edge of the property where we grow the big ones. A few of the surrounding towns use us as well, but I always save the best for Yavin. We're one of the sponsors.”

Just then, Mayor Lando Calrissian took the stage, looking quite cozy in a fur-lined cape. “Welcome to the 50th annual Yavin Treelighting Ceremony.”

“Oh god, he wore one of the capes.” Finn hung his head in secondhand embarrassment. “I specifically asked him not to wear one of the capes.”

Rey laughed, turning back to Lando. His speech hit all the marks, family, togetherness, hometown pride, before he gestured just off stage. “And now, if you’ll join me in welcoming our very own Poe Dameron to throw the switch and officially start the holiday season in Yavin.”

The crowd cheered and Rey looked around in shock, finding that no, Poe was no longer standing next to her, and yes, he was indeed on stage with a giant switch.

A countdown had begun.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

She looked toward Finn and Rose, finding neither surprised to see Poe on the stage.

“Three… two… one!”

With a flourish, Poe hit the switch, the tree and the entire surrounding square bursting into light.

It was breathtaking. There had to be a million lights between the tree and the square, stretching all the way down Main Street. Each roof had its own design, a snowman on the diner, a giant tree on the bank, there was even a snowflake on the roof of the bookshop. She couldn’t help but admit that it was a lot different from what she remembered. 

The high school marching band started up with a rousing rendition of “Winter Wonderland” as Poe shook Lando’s hand before heading off the stage and back in their direction.

“Was nobody going to tell me that Poe was the guest of honor tonight?” asked Rey, Finn and Rose both shrugging.

Finn clapped her on the back. “I mean, we knew you’d figure it out eventually.”

She laughed in spite of herself, rolling her eyes as Poe rejoined their little group.

“So, how’d we measure up to the big one?” he asked.

Rey thought about it second. For years, she’d gone to the tree-lighting in downtown Coruscant religiously, first with Uncle Ben and then every year that she’d lived in the city since, the last few years being the exception. It was her favorite part of living in the city. But with work and Ben’s attitude about tourists, it had been easier to skip the last few years. She’d thought she’d miss both it and the city, but instead found herself dreading each minute that brought her closer to returning home.

So she was telling the truth when she answered, “I think it was perfect.”

The dread continued to mount into the next morning as she sat at the island drinking her coffee with Uncle Ben. Just the thought of packing her bag and getting back on the train left her stomach churning, for once not the coffee’s fault. This weekend had been a lovely break from the shitshow that had become her real life. If she was being honest, she never wanted it to end.

“Ok, just hear me out,” said Uncle Ben, breaking her out of her existential crisis. “I know you have to start a job search and all that, but I’ve been thinking. Isn’t that stuff all online these days? So why couldn’t you start your job hunt here? You can take some shifts at the shop, work on your resume, just let yourself reset a bit. Go back when it’s time for interviews.”

If she was being honest, she’d been hoping all weekend for the offer. Not that she couldn’t just ask. Uncle Ben would always want her to stay. She just didn’t want it to sound like her idea.

As such, she pretended to waffle a bit. “I don’t know, I left my apartment and everything. I really should be getting back.”

Uncle Ben waved her off. “Nonsense. We can give Maz a call, have her check in on the place.”

Maz was an old family friend, and as luck would have it, she had sizeable studio in the building she owned that she rented to Rey for a song. Rey knew that Maz would have no trouble at all keeping an eye on things while she was gone.

“But I have a life there, friends.” Another lie, one Uncle Ben didn’t need to know anything about.

“If they’re really your friends, they’ll be there when you return.”

“What if I get a call for a last-minute interview?”

“Then I will drive you to the city myself.”

“Well….” she said, Uncle Ben watching her with a little too much interest. She needed to wrap this up, STAT. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything to stick around a while.”

Uncle Ben let out an undignified whoop, getting to his feet. Rey was always a little shocked at how sprightly he was for his age. “That’s my girl. I’m going to let Kes know the good news.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Rey breathed a sigh of relief. She’d only bought a one-way ticket.


	4. Adrift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets used to life back in Yavin. Later, Poe wants to clear the air.

The first official day of Rey’s unemployment dawned unseasonably warm and bright. She stretched languidly in bed, relishing the feel. It had been years since she allowed herself this kind of luxury, always focused on not only the next goal, but the one after that. Yet now, time stretched in front of her, large swatches of it that she’d always envied other people. 

Twenty minutes later, Rey was bored out of her mind.

She’d drank coffee, attempted to read a book, put down said book and turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, turned off the TV, poured a second cup of coffee.

How did people do this? 

She picked up another book, hoping this one would hold her attention longer. And it did. For seven whole minutes.

Dropping back on the couch, she sighed. Maybe she should have asked Uncle Ben to put her on the schedule for today. She could always just drop in, see if he needed any help.

That was a good idea. In her haste to get upstairs and get dressed, she nearly tripped over her running shoes, still stashed in the entryway from yesterday. Or she could go for a run, work off some of this excess energy. 

It was barely 9am when she finished lacing up her shoes, bending over to stretch out her calves on the front porch. 

She noted that the house next door, a giant Victorian practically twice the size of Uncle Ben’s, was looking a lot better these days. Fresh coat of paint, completely refinished porch, neat, manicured lawn. At one point during its storied history, the house had been owned by the Ashworth family, and had been lovingly referred to as the Old Ashworth place by the entire town ever since. When she’d left for school, the thing had practically been in disrepair, no one willing to take the project on. She hadn’t noticed anyone coming or going in her short time here, but there was no way it was still empty. She’d have to ask Uncle Ben.

Then she was off. The first mile nearly killed her. It had been a while, that much was evident with every huff and puff of her breath, her heart beating rabidly against her ribs. She hadn’t been to the gym in months thanks to all the craziness with the merger and Ben, and it showed. Slowly, but surely, she found her rhythm, the second and third miles blowing by. The steady pounding of her feet gave her mind a chance to wander.

All these years later, and she was right back where she started. But for the first time in her life, that didn’t feel like a bad thing. In fact, as a final turn took her onto Main Street, looking at all the decorations that had gone up seemingly overnight, she couldn’t even remember why she had stayed away for so long.

That is, until she ran smack dab into Poe Dameron.

She bounced off his chest with enough force to send her careening, Poe reaching out to right her just in the nick of time. 

“Shit, shit, sorry,” she said, trying not to think of her messy ponytail or the way the sweat was gathered on her face and dripping. She plucked her headphones from her ears.

“Whoa, you okay?” he asked, hands still on her clammy forearms. He seemed to realize that fact right as she did, dropping her instantly. “Wait a second, you’re still in town?”

She gave a half shrug. “Surprise?”

This wasn’t exactly the way she’d imagined telling him, but that was small town life for you. It was only a matter of time before you ran into someone (sometimes literally).

Poe blinked at her. “Uh, yeah. Little bit.” He bent over to pick up the bag he dropped when she knocked into him. “So, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Rey didn’t even have a chance to answer before he was gone, the whole interaction leaving a strange taste in her mouth. They’d left things perfectly fine at both Thanksgiving and the tree lighting. So what had gotten into him?

Rey put it from her mind, walking the rest of the way to the shop.

The cheerful bell heralded her arrival, Uncle Ben appearing almost instantly from the back. “Rey! To what do I owe this pleasure?” He stopped, his nose crinkling. “And that smell?”

She ignored him. “I was bored, so I went for a run. Figured I’d stop by and see if you needed any help.”

“Perhaps after a shower, my dear. We don’t want to scare away the customers.” He perched on the stool behind the counter. “Though, it’s only been an hour since I left. How are you bored already?”

Rey shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never really had this much free time.”

“An hour?” Those white brows raised in question.

“I don’t think it’s so much the hour, but all of the time after that. I’ve never not had a gameplan or next steps to focus on.” She leaned over so her elbows rested on the counter. “It feels like I’m adrift and it’s only day one.”

“Well, I can help with that.” He put a hand on her (admittedly sweaty) back, a soft smile on his face. “Next steps are getting cleaned up and then watching the shop while I finish unpacking shipments in the back.”

“Well, not exactly what I meant,” she said, heading for the door, “but I’ll be back in twenty.”

“See you in an hour dear.”

She laughed, but of course Uncle Ben was right, so it was just over an hour later that Rey settled behind the counter for the long haul. While Uncle Ben did a decent business, A New Chapter wasn’t exactly hopping in the middle of a Monday afternoon. There was the old lady who wandered in looking for a copy of  _ 50 Shades of Grey _ (which she was very disappointed to learn that they  _ did not _ stock). Then came the young mother and her toddler (the former Rey vaguely remembered being a few years behind her in school) looking for  _ If You Give a Moose a Muffin _ (which they most definitely  _ did  _ stock).

When the bell over the door tinkled again not five minutes later, Rey was half expecting it to be the woman again, perhaps having forgotten something. Instead, she found Rose rushing through the door.

“I just heard the news!” she gushed, a wide smile on her face. “And thank god, cause I need your help.”

She had forgotten how word traveled in a place like Yavin, though this was fast even by small town standards. It had to be Poe. She’d bumped into him less than two hours ago, and already half the town knew. Jeez, did they all have a group text or something? 

Though, she supposed it wasn’t all bad. This was the perfect chance to start the Rey Kenobi Apology Tour, something she’d cooked up after deciding to stick it out in Yavin. There was no denying that she had made some mistakes, and it was far past time for her to right those wrongs. And where better to start than Rose?

“Sure, what do you need.” 

“Yes! I’m recruiting you for the Christmas Committee. Karé normally helps us, but she’s about to pop, and Jess just moved two states over to be with her girlfriend, so we’re down two people.”

“The Christmas Committee?” Rey couldn’t help but be a little skeptical. What the hell was a Christmas Committee and since when did Yavin have one? “What’s that?”

“We’re in charge of all the holiday stuff in town,” she said, ticking the items off on her fingers, “the Snowflake Parade, the Christmas Market, even Breakfast with Santa, all culminating in the Jingle Ball on Christmas Eve.”

Ok, she was expecting more along the lines of “do you know how to find this rare book?” or “can you go shopping with me for my sister?” but she supposed she could work with this. “Uh, I’m afraid I’m not much of a party planner.”

“Believe me, no experience necessary. I mean, if Finn and Poe can do it…”

Rey didn’t even bother to listen to the rest of the sentence. Both Finn and Poe were on the Committee. If she was serious about making amends and reconnecting with her old friends, then this was her way to kill two birds with one stone.

“I’ll do it,” she said, interrupting whatever Rose had been explaining.

It took a split second for that to compute before Rose pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Rose may have been small, but she’d grown up on a farm and it showed. 

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You will not regret this. It’s a ton of work, but really so much fun. Next meeting is Friday at 7 at Poe’s place, and it’s a big one. We’ve got to finalize the vendor list and map out the stand placement for the Christmas Market.” Rose finally stopped and took a breath. Rey wasn’t sure the other woman had taken one since she’d agreed. “I’ve got to get back before Santa comes for the evening crowd at the farm, but I’ll see you Friday!” And just like that Rose was out the door, the bell jingling in her absence. That thing was already starting to get on her nerves.

“So, the Christmas Committee?” Rey jumped when Uncle Ben’s voice came from directly behind her.

“Jesus, when did you learn to sneak around like that?”

Uncle Ben ignored her, rubbing his beard in contemplation. “Very interesting.” With that, he disappeared into the back, ostensibly to eavesdrop on a few more of her conversations.

The next two days went much like the first - late morning runs followed by a long day in the shop. Miraculously, she’d only run into her former friends seven times over the two days, which had to be a record low in this town. 

Though once again, it appeared her luck had run out when that obnoxious bell signaled the arrival of Poe Dameron, tool bag in hand.

He was looking especially good that day, his beard trimmed close again, dark curls tousled just right. Instead of the usual flannel, he wore a crisp button-down, like he’d just gotten off work at a bank. Which made no sense, since he worked on the line at a furniture factory, but that was a thought for another time.

“Oh, hey. Uncle Ben said one of the drawers was sticking?” He gestured vaguely toward the counter, looking more awkward than she’d seen him since that first night at the diner. Huh.

Rey smiled, motioning for him to join her. “It’s this one,” she said, pointing at the second drawer down. To demonstrate, she pulled it out, the drawer giving an unholy squeak of wood on wood before deciding to come open. 

Poe set to work immediately, pulling the offending drawer out completely, examining it from all angles. There was a bit of sandpaper, a planer, and some WD-40 before Poe replaced it, the drawer gliding as smoothly as if it were on rollers.

He didn’t make eye contact as he dropped his tools back into the bag and busied himself with wiping down the work area. Finally, he heaved a sigh and stood to face her.

“We need to talk.”

Her heart dropped to her feet remembering the last time she heard those exact words in that exact order.

When she didn’t say anything, he went on. “Maybe when you get off work? You drink coffee, right? There’s this new coffeeshop the next town over that I’ve been meaning to try. I can pick you up.”

Wait a second, was this a breakup or a date? Not that they were anything close to dating, but she couldn’t get over the feeling of those words. “Uh, sure. 7? 7:30?”

“Yeah, 7:30 works.” There was an awkward moment where they just looked at each other, Poe’s expression grim. “Uh, I guess I’ll see you then.”

He was out the door without another word, leaving Rey to quietly freak out until that evening.

When it came time to close the shop, she went through the motions automatically, closing out the register, prepping the bank deposit, locking the door behind her. Once at home, she decided against changing her outfit - he’d already seen what she was wearing so it would be weird now if she dressed up.

Too nervous to eat, she sat at the kitchen table while Uncle Ben ate his dinner, her knee bouncing in time with her thoughts.

“Rey?”

Her head snapped up, the look on Uncle Ben’s face telling her that wasn’t the first time he’d said her name.

“Sorry, I’m a little nervous.”

He raised his brows, looking pointedly at her still-shaking knee. “You don’t say.”

A horn sounded from the driveway. 

“That’s my ride,” she said, taking the opportunity to get out there. Before heading for the door, she bent down and kissed Uncle Ben’s cheek. “See you later.”

“Have fun on your date, dear,” he said, a smug little smile on his face.

“Not a date.”

“Well, have fun anyway.”

She grabbed her coat and Poe’s borrowed hat from the hall before stepping into the night. Sure enough, Poe and his truck were waiting for her in the drive, the low rumble of the engine growing louder with every step.

Rather than the old beat up truck Rey was expecting, Poe drove a newer model, the interior just as pristine as the outside. 

“Hey,” she said, dropping down into the passenger seat. “Thanks for picking me up. I hate leaving Uncle Ben all night without a car.”

Poe threw the truck into reverse, smoothly navigating out the drive and down the street. “Of course, I mean, this was my idea after all.” At Main Street, he took a left turn, taking them away from the town center. 

Maybe it was in her head, but things were decidedly more awkward than they’d been at Thanksgiving. And it wasn’t like she’d done anything. Well, at least this time.

It was silent for a minute before she remembered what was in her hand. “I almost forgot. Thanks for the hat. Sorry about stealing it for a bit.” He never needed to know that she’d definitely noticed the way it smelled like him, or that it hadn’t exactly been an accident that she’d kept it after the ceremony. It was a very nice hat.

Poe accepted the knitwear with a nod before sticking it in the center console and turning back to the road. The radio played softly in the background, something poppy with a good beat, which abruptly cut off when Poe swung into a spot and killed the engine.

The smile on his face looked a little forced when he turned to her. “Here we are.”

No, it definitely wasn’t in her head. Something had changed.

She followed him into the little café, giving him her order while she went off to find a quiet table for the two of them. It was the kind of place Rey thought only existed in movies and TV, big squashy armchairs settled around little tables, more than one couch, even a singer setting up in the corner. Absently, she wondered if they were about to get a rousing rendition of “Smelly Cat.”

Rey selected a cute setup with two wingback chairs, figuring a little distance would do them good.

By the time Poe found her with their drinks - a cappuccino for her and a tea for him - Rey was chomping at the bit.

“Ok, the suspense is killing me. What is this about?” she said as soon as his butt hit the chair.

He looked a little startled at her directness, running a hand through his hair in what she recognized as a nervous gesture. “So, I heard you joined the Committee.”

Not where she thought this was going, but that seemed to be the name of the game here. “Yeah.”

“Can I be honest?”

That made her decidedly nauseous, despite skipping dinner. “Of course.”

“When I called that truce on Thanksgiving, I thought I was gonna see you once, maybe twice over the weekend before you disappeared again for another dozen or so years.” His wry smile softened the blow of the words. “But with you staying in town and now working together on the Committee, I figured we should probably clear the air.”

That was… fair, even if it hurt a little. “Yeah, of course. That makes sense.” Rey took a fortifying sip of her cappuccino. Perfection. 

“Uh, so…” Now that she’d agreed, he looked a little lost, like he wasn’t exactly sure where to start. He barked out a mirthless laugh, dropping his gaze and shaking his head. “God, I had this whole thing planned out, the questions I’ve been asking myself for 12 years all lined up, and now that I’m sitting here in front of you, there’s only one question that matters.” His head shot up, those warm, brown eyes locking on to hers. “Why?”

It was the one question she’d never really been able to answer. There were a million reasons, each more complicated than the last, and none of them satisfying. But as she looked into those eyes, there was more than a decade of hurt staring back at her, begging her to explain.

So she gave it her best shot. “We were so young, Poe. Barely even 18. We’d been together since middle school. I’d spent my earliest years being taken care of by strangers, then Uncle Ben, and I wanted- no I needed to know that I could stand on my own two feet. That I could do something with my life. And in my 18-year-old brain, that meant I couldn’t do it with you by my side.”

Poe remained silent, staring into his mug. Then, “Did you ever love me?”

Oh, shit he really wasn’t pulling his punches. 

She reached across the little table, grabbing one of his hands. “Poe, I want you to know that this wasn’t about you. There was nothing that you could have done differently, absolutely nothing that you did wrong. It was all me. And to answer your question, yes I loved you. I loved you so much I was afraid that if I said yes, I’d never leave Yavin.” 

She blinked, surprised to find her lashes wet and sticking. It was the most honest she’d been with anyone in years, and it felt like a weight had been lifted. For the first time since she left Yavin, she could truly breathe.

Poe squeezed her hand, swallowing thickly. “Thank you.”

_ Did you love me? _ That same question was on the tip of her tongue, only there was no need to voice it out loud. The answer was plain as day on his face. Yes, he loved her and she’d returned the favor by breaking his heart. 

They sat in silence for a moment, but for the first time that day, it wasn’t awkward. Rey dropped his hand, bringing it up to swipe at her cheeks. “What now?”

Poe had already settled back into his chair, carefully sipping his tea. “Now, we start fresh. Clean slate. Friends?” He stuck out one hand, an unmistakable gesture of peace. 

“Friends.” She accepted it gladly, the two shaking on it.

The rest of the evening passed in a haze of easy conversation and good music. The singer, much to Rey’s surprise, was pretty amazing, her voice providing a welcome background for two old friends to catch up. 

Both starving, Poe grabbed them sandwiches from the counter, waving her off when she tried to pay. “No way, my treat.”

They were both a little shocked when a barista stopped by and asked them if they were finished, the shop was closing.

Back in the car, they couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Time flies, right?” said Poe, navigating them through the quiet streets. This time the silence was nowhere near tense, Rey settling back into the seat to watch the streetlights blur by.

Poe was pulling into her drive when she blinked awake.

“Oh shit, sorry,” she said, rubbing her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she was tired. 

“No worries. Sorry for keeping you out so late.”

Rey looked up in time to see the curtain in the front window twitch. Uncle Ben. “I should probably get in there before Uncle Ben comes out with a spotlight.”

“Just like old times.” Poe laughed, the sound a revelation. Rey tried not to think about the slight flutter in her chest.

Her hand hesitated on the door handle. It defied all logic, but she didn’t want to evening to end. “Oh, Rose mentioned that the meeting this Friday is at your place? What’s the address?” 

Poe’s grin turned sheepish, cheeks coloring in the dim light coming off the porch. “Uh, Uncle Ben didn’t mention?”

“No,” she answered, a little leary. Why on Earth would Uncle Ben bring up Poe’s address?

To answer her question, he simply pointed next door.

It took a second to compute. “Wait, you bought the old Ashworth place?” She tried not to think about how much it had cost - there were like a million bedrooms - or how much work had been put into the house to make it look like that.

“Yeah, a few years ago. I assumed you knew.”

“Not exactly,” she said, noticing the curtains move again. “Well, I guess this is goodnight.”

Poe smiled. “Goodnight, Rey.”

She lingered on the porch as he backed out of her drive and pulled into his, giving her a little wave before disappearing into a side door. Not wanting to linger anymore, she walked into the house, locking the door behind her with a final click.

She leaned her back against the closed door, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. Poe was now literally the boy next door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented and/or read this so far! We're getting to the meat of this story now, so buckle up for some hardcore Hallmark movie tropes ahead.


	5. The Christmas Committee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Christmas Committee brings Poe and Rey closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has read this so far! I've updated the tags a little to reflect some things that came to light while I was writing this. I'd love to pretend like I stick to the outline, but sometimes these characters get a mind of their own halfway through.

Rey woke at dawn on Friday, intent on getting her run in before she needed to open the shop for Uncle Ben. He was taking a rare day off, going to see some friends a few towns over and leaving Rey in charge of things at A New Chapter. 

Last night they’d gone over all the possible scenarios, how to look up a book in the ordering system, which shipments were set to be delivered, what to do if the credit card machine went down, who to call in case of natural disaster. It had all been a bit much for a single day away, but Rey restrained from rolling her eyes. She knew what the shop meant to Uncle Ben and how rare it was for him to entrust anyone with it, so she took it just as seriously as him.

She had two hours before she needed to open the doors as she laced up her shoes, heading to the front porch to stretch. Anywhere else, she wouldn’t be caught dead running alone in the near dark, but she supposed Yavin was safer than most. It was still unseasonably warm, damn near 60 degrees even this early in the morning. More and more it was looking like they wouldn’t get a white Christmas this year. 

She glanced next door to Poe’s still-sleeping house, the windows all dark against the slowly rising sun, before setting off down the street. 

Her feet hit the pavement in even strides, her rhythm coming sooner and sooner with each run. She had just relaxed in that trance-like state that only running brought when a hand grasped her shoulder.

The scream that tore from her throat was completely outside her control and loud enough to make her attacker jump back as she spun around to face him. It took a few heart-pounding moments before she recognized the man in front of her.

“Poe?” He stood with his hands raised in a sign of surrender, palms facing her, looking nearly as terrified as she felt. He was in a pair of running shorts, a faded t-shirt stretched across his chest. Fear was quickly replaced with anger, Rey reaching out and socking him on the arm. “What are you thinking sneaking up on a woman in the dark!”

“Ow!” he said, rubbing the spot with one hand. “I don’t know, maybe that there hasn’t been a violent crime in Yavin like ever!”

“There’s a first time for everything,” she muttered, crossing her arms and willing her heart to slow down with steady breaths. 

“Sorry, I didn’t even think. I was just about to head out for my own run and figured I’d see if you wanted to join me. I have a pretty good four mile loop that I’m willing to share.”

Rey blinked at him. “You wanted to run with me?”

“Yeah, why not? If we’re both already out here.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why haven’t I seen you running any other days?”

“I think we’ve been on different schedules.” Poe laughed, shaking his head at her. “Damn, I didn’t think this would be such a hard sell.”

Rey cracked a smile in spite of herself. “Well, are we doing this?” Her normal runs were closer to three miles, but what was one more? She gestured in front of her. “Lead the way.”

Poe set a brisk pace, taking them in a giant loop around town before heading toward Main Street. Rey huffed and puffed along with him, unused to running with another person and being forced to keep their pace. It was just enough to make anything more than a few stilted phrases between breaths impossible, the silence strangely comforting as the town woke around them. 

A final turn brought them to the main drag, Poe taking them all the way down to the square before circling the tree twice and heading back the way they had come.

Rey had avoided running down Main Street since her run-in (literally) with Poe the other day, instead sticking to the side roads and outlying neighborhoods. As they ran, she could feel eyes on her, at the diner, from the little apartments above the shops, even in the cars passing them by. Her not-so-triumphant return had turned a lot of heads in the small town, and she could only imagine the rumors that would fly when she was seen running with her jilted ex-lover.

It took everything Rey had to make the final turn back onto their street, Uncle Ben’s house just in view. Finally reaching the house, she unceremoniously flopped on the grass, not caring that it was a little damp from the morning dew, just needing a minute to catch her breath.

Poe dropped down beside her a second later, panting. “On closer examination, I realize I may have been pushing the pace a bit.”

“You don’t say,” she said between gasping breaths, her laugh barely coming out as a huff of air.

They sat in silence for a minute, the only sound that of their slowly calming breaths.

“Do you mind if I let Bee out? She’ll want to come over and say hello.”

To be honest, Rey was kind of ambivalent towards dogs. They’d never had one growing up - Uncle Ben was quite allergic - and her tiny apartment in Coruscant was decidedly pet free. Not that she didn’t like them, just that she didn’t quite understand people’s attachment to their pets.

“Sure.”

Rey barely had time to sit up before a very energetic golden retriever was bounding toward her. 

“Bee! Gentle!” yelled Poe as he jogged to catch up with her, but Bee was already at Rey, licking the sweat from her face. “Sorry! She’s still kind of a puppy.”

Rey giggled as the dog showered her with affection, burying her hand in Bee’s shaggy fur for a pet. “Hey, girl.”

“Bee, enough,” said Poe, grabbing her collar pull her off Rey. “Sorry about that. Sit, Bee.”

The dog’s butt promptly hit the grass, though her rapidly wagging tail and restless front paws told how excited she still was. Rey approached her on her knees. “Nice to meet you, Bee,” she said, rubbing behind the dog’s ears and at the scruff of her neck. Bee stood up for a moment before Poe’s warning “Bee” put her butt down once more.

Stretching her neck, Bee gave Rey another kiss. “She’s very well-behaved.”

“I try,” said Poe, still watching the dog like a hawk, “but she doesn’t realize her own strength.”

A beep from her wrist drew Rey’s attention to her watch. “Shit, I gotta go if I’m gonna shower and open the shop on time.” Poe grabbed Bee’s collar so Rey could stand. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“I’ll be there,” he said with a smile, walking Bee back to his own yard. 

Rey made it to the shop without incident, opening the doors just in the knick of time. Not that there was a line waiting to come in, but it felt like she’d passed some test nonetheless. The day crawled by, Rey preoccupied with thoughts of the meeting and seeing Poe again. 

It’s not that she hadn’t expected to see him when she came back. In fact, she’d resolved herself that running into him every now and then was inevitable in a town this size. But she hadn’t quite expected to spend this much time with him. 

Not that she was complaining. Even all these years later there was something about Poe Dameron that called to her. It shouldn’t really surprise her, they had been friends for years before anything turned romantic. If you could call holding hands between classes in 8th grade romantic.

She couldn’t help but laugh at what "dating" had meant back then, evolving over the years until they were a real couple in high school. That was when the real fun started, Friday night football games, hanging out in the back of Finn or Poe’s trucks, doing… other things in the back of said truck. 

Poe had been her first, and at one time, she’d thought would be her only. When she’d left Yavin all those years ago, it had been with every intention of returning. She just needed to stand on her own two feet for a bit, let all this blow over. Of course, life had different ideas.

She’d spent her early twenties in a blur of work and friends and lovers, sowing her wild oats and laughing at how naive she’d been. Why tie yourself down when there was a whole city of men (and yes, women) to enjoy? But that game had grown old, and the world of tinder dates and hookups had left her feeling empty. Only work could fill the void, so she threw herself in wholeheartedly, perfecting her craft and rising through the ranks. It was no accident that she was the youngest copywriter to have one of her pitches make it in a campaign.  That determination was what caught Ben’s attention in the first place. 

But she didn’t want to think about Ben Solo, not when a man like Poe Dameron was right next door. The comparisons were not kind to her former boss.

When she looked up at the antique cuckoo clock on the wall, she was shocked to realize it was time to close up. So much for the day crawling by. 

By the time she made it back to the house, Uncle Ben was already waiting for her in the study. 

“How did it go, dear?” he asked, lowering the book he’d been reading. It must have killed him to not check in on her when he got home, but Rey appreciated the gesture of trust.

She handed over the day’s receipts. “See for yourself.” 

Uncle Ben’s face became more and more impressed as he paged through the sheaf. “A very good day, indeed. And the delivery?”

“On time and shelved.”

“Deposit?”

“At the bank.”

“I think I’ll keep you around.” Uncle Ben’s smile went wide. “Dinner should be ready shortly. It’s simple, I’m afraid, but I didn’t want to waste time knowing that you have your big meeting tonight.” That grin turned devilish. “Speaking of, are you planning on changing before heading over?”

Rey looked down at her leggings and long sweater, perfectly acceptable for a town committee meeting. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Oh, well in case you change your mind, Maz sent along some of your things.” He gestured toward the front hall, where a sizable box sat unopened.

When Rey called Maz to let her know she’d be gone for a while, her landlord had offered to send some clothes along and Rey had taken her up on it immediately. It had been just over a week and she was already running out of underwear, even having already done a load of laundry.

She dug into the box, finding a good assortment of the basics, underwear included. Though why Maz had packed a few of her nicer dresses, Rey had no idea. There was no way she’d need them here.

“Oh, you should wear that tonight,” said Uncle Ben coming up behind her. He pointed at one of the dresses, a pretty, deep green number.

“I highly doubt a cocktail dress would be appropriate,” she scoffed. Dropping the dress back into the box, she picked it up and took it to her room without another word.

Dinner was a lot less simple than Uncle Ben had let on, the roast chicken and potatoes leaving her stuffed. 

Soon enough, it was time to head over, Uncle Ben pushing a plate of freshly baked cookies into her hands. “Never go empty handed, my dear. Some of my famous snickerdoodles for the group.”

“Thanks, Uncle Ben,” she said, dropping a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be back, soon.”

He chuckled. “I won’t wait up, dear.”

With that, she made the short journey to Poe’s house, knocking on the front door. The wraparound porch was immaculate, a swing dominating one end, while a series of comfy looking chairs sat in a line near her. It must have been completely replaced, but Rey didn’t have time to think about it when the door swung open to reveal Poe.

“Hey, come on in,” he said, one hand firmly on Bee’s collar to prevent her from properly greeting Rey. “Oh, please tell me those are Uncle Ben’s snickerdoodles.”

“That they are,” she said, handing over the plate.

“You okay if I let her go?”

“Of course,” she replied, bending down to give Bee a proper pet. This dog was definitely growing on her.

Rey stood, trying not to let her jaw drop as she took in the house. 

The entire place had been redone from the brand new hardwood floors to the raised ceilings. Directly in front of her was the restored staircase, with a door leading into the living room on her right. Through the glass doors, she glimpsed the beautiful built-in bookcases, all refinished and painted a brilliant white.  The layout was the same as Uncle Ben’s house next door, just on a much bigger scale. But where Uncle Ben had kept all the dark wood and wallpaper, Poe had refinished it in whites and greys to stunning effect. Somehow, he’d managed to keep the charm while updating the style. As he walked her through the formal dining room and into the kitchen, she wondered if he had help. The place screamed of a woman’s touch.

That thought sent her spiraling. She’d never even thought to ask if he was seeing anyone. But wouldn’t she have run into them together by now? This town wasn’t big enough to hide that kind of relationship.

“Look who I found,” announced Poe to the group assembled around his kitchen table. Of course, the kitchen was massive with beautiful island and cozy breakfast nook. “And she brought cookies!”

Finn and Rose were already at the table, Rey settling into the last empty seat. Immediately, Bee sat next to her and put her head in Rey’s lap. Rey scratched her behind the ears.

“Looks like you’ve got a new friend,” said Poe, nodding toward the adoring way his dog was looking up at her. 

Rey smiled back at him before Rose cleared her throat. “Now that we’re all here,” said Rose, handing Rey an information packet, “let’s get started. We have a lot to discuss today.” 

That was the understatement of the year. Rey paged through the agenda and provided information, her eyes growing larger with each page. How the hell were the four of them supposed to handle all this? She’d worked on a lot of big projects during her time at Jedi, but nothing quite of this scale.

Rose gave a little breakdown of the events they managed for Rey’s benefit. “First up, we have breakfast with Santa next week, followed by the Christmas Market the week following. We get vendors from all over the state and completely take over the town square and chunk of Main Street. It’s amazing. Finally, on Christmas Eve we have the parade down Main Street and the annual Jingle Ball that evening. Every year we pick a charity and donate all the proceeds from the events. This year, we’re sponsoring the local children’s hospital.

“As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. But I’m happy to report that Uncle Ben has once again agreed to reprise his role as Santa both for the parade and the breakfast. The suit is at the dry cleaners, so we should be all set come next week. The diner has thrown in the food again, so all proceeds from the Santa breakfast can go to the children’s hospital.” She turned to Poe. “Any update on the market?”

“Well, we’ve got our main sponsor all lined up,” he said, the three exchanging an odd look. “But I’m stuck on the vendor map. We have fifteen new booths this year, and I have no clue how to fit them into the square.”

It took a while, but they figured it out after Rey suggested moving the food stands onto Main Street to leave the square for the vendors.

“Perfect,” said Rose, scribbling a couple of notes onto the new map mock-up, “I’ll get this to the printers first thing tomorrow morning. Now what about entertainment?”

They kept the budget small and tried to get as much donated as humanly possible to keep the proceeds firmly in the hands of their charity, which didn't leave a lot of wiggle room. They needed to get creative.

“Does the high school still have that community service requirement?” asked Rey.

Rose gave her an odd look. “Yeah, why?”

Rey tapped her pen against the table. “Maybe we talk to the school about giving a community service credit to the choir if they agree to sing. The stage is already set up around the tree from the lighting ceremony.”

“And we can use non-singers to help sell raffle tickets and assemble the booths the Friday before,” added Poe. 

“Yes, I love it,” said Rose, scribbling more notes into her packet. “Congratulations you guys, you’re now the co-chairs of the Christmas Market. I’m handing the entire event over to you two.”

Rey and Poe exchanged a panicked look. 

“Wait, I didn’t sign-”

“Hold on a sec-”

Rose put up a hand to stop their protests. “Listen, I know it’s a lot of work, but we’ve got to divide and conquer and you two seem to be on a roll with this. This way, Finn and I can focus on the parade and breakfast, and we can all pitch in with the Jingle Ball.”

Unfortunately, it made sense, thought Rey as she nervously stroked at Bee’s ears. There were only four of them, and they couldn’t be everywhere at once. Better to split up the work and make the most of the team.

Even if it meant spending more time with her ex.

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur of plans and brainstorming, finally landing them with a theme for the Jingle Ball.

“What about a decade dance?” asked Rey, helping herself to yet another of Uncle Ben’s cookies. She’d already eaten three or four, but she couldn't help herself. It was like she'd forgotten how good they were. 

“A decade dance?” parroted Rose, face scrunched in confusion.

“Yeah, it’s the end of a decade, so make that the theme. Pick your favorite decade and dress accordingly. Vote for best dressed and the winner takes home a prize.”

A slow smile spread across Rose’s face. “That could work. We’ve been doing various winter-y themes the past few years and I think folks are sick of them. But this, this is a fresh idea. Let’s do it.”

With that, the meeting was adjourned, Bee giving a startled bark when Rey rose from her seat. The dog followed her to the door, her head butting against Rey’s thigh every so often.

“Ok, I’m gonna call you to go over some more details about the ball,” Rose was saying, grabbing her coat from a hook on the door. “And then, I’ll see you and Uncle Ben at the breakfast next Sunday.”

She shrugged on her own jacket as Finn and Rose walked out the door, finding herself taking her time, lingering a little more than she should. 

“So, I suppose we should probably get together to fine tune the plans,” said Poe, leaning against the banister with his arms crossed.

Rey put one hand on the door knob. “Yeah, definitely.”

Bee whined as Rey opened the door. 

“She’s really taken a shine to you,” laughed Poe, the look transforming his face. “I swear, she’s barely this attached to me.”

“Well, she’s a good girl.” Rey bent down to give Bee one final scratch. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

When she straightened up, she couldn’t read the look on Poe’s face, her own heating when she realized what she’d just said. 

“Uh, so maybe I’ll see you tomorrow, Kenobi? Say, 7 am, out front?” 

Back in the day, he used to call her Sunshine - his Rey of Sunshine - but she’d take Kenobi if it meant they were becoming friends again.

She bit down on her lip, trying and failing to suppress a smile. “Yeah, maybe, Dameron. See you then.” She was out the door before she could ruin the moment, a smile on her face all the way back to Uncle Ben’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the Christmas Market! I wonder what these two will get up to...


	6. The Christmas Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Christmas Market brings both truth and old feelings to the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some Christmas Market goodness. Hope you enjoy!

She met him out front the next morning. And the one after that. And the one after that, their runs quickly becoming a routine. Some days Bee joined them, and others Poe came alone, announcing that the Princess needed her beauty sleep. Though they slowed down the pace after that first day, they still didn’t talk much, Rey loving the easy moments of quiet that passed between them as they put their miles in.

Between the runs and the shifts at the shop and her various committee obligations, Rey found herself with a full slate. 

She was wholly unready for how little she missed her life in Coruscant. In fact, that feeling had stopped her from applying for a single job back in the city. Or really, any job at all. She’d need to start looking, and probably soon, but she had some savings and the thought of having to leave town before all the holiday celebrations left her shaky and a little nauseous.

Though, she had received the odd text here and there from former coworkers, and it seemed like all was not well at Jedi Worldwide. The merger was slowly falling apart, clients were jumping ship left, right, and center, and even Sienar was having second thoughts about signing. 

Then there was the text that she’d let sit for two days before deleting it all together. 

Ben Solo (2:23 PM): Can we talk?

So she continued in her little bubble, ignoring the text messages, and spending an inordinate amount of time with Poe planning the market. 

As Rey learned, the market had become a bit of a thing, people coming from hours away to see their quaint little town do its thing. It brought in a ton of revenue, very much unlike the mom and pop craft fair that mainly sold toilet paper cozies and outfits for those weird little goose statues that Rey remembered attending when she was growing up. 

So they met almost daily, at the shop or the diner and one time Poe even drove her out to that adorable coffee shop they’d been to last week, trying to nail down the logistics. Text messages came at all hours of the day and night. They didn’t even bother with full sentences anymore, adopting a sort of shorthand that only made sense to the two of them.

The school had agreed and their volunteer rosters were full, the choir, band, and even dance team set to perform at various times throughout the day. The booths were all kept in Kes’s barn, and they’d made plans to borrow just about every truck in town to bring the pieces to the square for the high schoolers to assemble (with adult supervision, of course). There would be hot chocolate and coffee and cookies courtesy of their sponsor, the name of which Rey was far too busy to ask. 

Breakfast with Santa went off without a hitch, Uncle Ben playing jolly old St. Nick to perfection.

The Friday before the Christmas Market dawned bright and cold, though still not nearly cold enough for snow. It was becoming more and more likely that they wouldn’t get any for Christmas this year, but that was still weeks away and Rey had a lot more than the weather on her mind.

She and Poe worked with their student volunteers (and Rose and Finn and Kes) to first haul and then assemble all the booths for the vendors. Rey was by no means handy, but even she had to admit the booths were constructed in such a way that made assembly a breeze. It was no surprise at all to learn that Poe had designed and built them originally. She couldn’t go ten feet in this town without finding something he made. Surely, he was wasting his talents at the furniture factory.

On Saturday morning, Rey rose before the sun. Though, could it be considered waking up if she never really slept in the first place? Half the night was spent tossing and turning and remembering various things that needed to be handled, while the other half was spent feverishly texting Poe.

You (1:32 AM): Projector?

Poe (1:33 AM): In possession. Movie?

You (1:33 AM): Secured

You (2:19 AM): MARSHMALLOWS

Poe (2:19 AM): Finn handled

You (2:20 AM): 👍

Poe (4:32 AM): FACE PAINTING BOOTH

You (4:33 AM): Shit, not enough time to coordinate. Next year?

Poe (4:33 AM): On the list.

Even before the lack of sleep, she and Poe had agreed to skip their morning run in favor of getting to the town square as early as possible. Vendors would start showing up as early as 7:30 to set up their booths and Poe and Rey needed to be there to coordinate.

So half asleep, she dragged herself to the front door, only to find Poe about to knock on the other side. He had a coffee in each hand, the good stuff by the looks of it.

“Gingerbread latte?” he said, presenting her with a cup. 

She took a hearty sip, letting the caffeine slide down to her stomach. It was kind of amazing, but she hadn’t had a flair up since returning to Yavin, despite the amount of coffee she still drank. “Have I told you lately that I love you?” she said without thinking. Immediately, she realized her mistake, her face heating in the morning chill.

Poe laughed it off, but rubbed at his beard, something she’d come to learn was a bit of a nervous habit for him. “Not nearly enough. Come on, Kenobi, we should get going if we want to beat the early birds.”

To say the day was hectic was the understatement of the century, Rey and Poe pulled in every direction, putting out fires, getting vendors to their stands, making sure the choir was on stage when it needed to be and that the dance team followed. It was full dark when Rey was finally able to take a breath.

The movie had just started playing on the side of City Hall, one final stroke of genius courtesy of Rey. 

“I have to admit, that was a great idea,” said Poe, sidling up to her, two cups of cocoa in hand. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his curls so messy he must have been nearly pulling them out at some point today. He handed her one of the cups. “I love _White Christmas_.”

Two days ago, they had been brainstorming how to keep the crowds occupied before the fireworks started when Rey got the idea.

“What if we play a movie under the stars?” she said, apropos of nothing. “Project it on the side of City Hall so the whole square could see it while they shopped. Something old timey, nostalgic.”

“Ok, I think I can track down a projector. What are you thinking, _It’s a Wonderful Life_?”

Rey wrinkled her nose. “Nah, that one’s way over played. What about _White Christmas_?”

She watched a smile spread across his face, the twin of the one currently on his face as he watched movie play in the square.

Rey took a sip of cocoa. It was perfect, of course, made with milk, not water, extra marshmallows and a nice dollop of whipped cream just like she remembered. At this point, she felt a little delirious with the lack of sleep and the 12 hours on her feet. Almost like she was drunk. The sugar was probably the only thing keeping her upright.

Looking up at one of the banners, she caught the name of their big sponsor for the hundredth time that day. “I still can’t believe that Sunshine Furniture is our sponsor.”

Poe looked at her like she had two heads. “I mean, they did buy the old furniture factory, so it makes sense.”

So many pieces of the puzzle clicked together. “Oh my god, I didn’t know that Sunshine was the company you worked for!” she exclaimed. “I love that stuff. My apartment back in Coruscant is full of it. It always reminded me of you, the way used to call me sunshine.” Rey paused as they continued to walk down the street, her heartbeat steady in her chest. They’d spent so much time together now, that little confessions like that no longer felt life or death. Plus, she was way too tired to filter any of her thoughts or care about the consequences. “You know, I wrote the first slogan for them.”

Poe’s head shot toward her. “You weren’t in the pitch meeting.” Rey gave him a weird look, Poe quickly backtracking. “I mean, I heard that the owner of the firm himself gave that pitch. Came up with the slogan, too.”

She shook her head. “No way, Ben Solo wished he was that talented.” It was the first time she’d voiced the opinion out loud, and it felt so right it hurt. “So this was the firm’s first pitch for a major brand - we’d just been doing local stuff up until that point - and the direction they were going was terrible. ‘Cheap. Fast. Furniture.’ was their best work, and it completely missed the point of the brand. 

“I was a junior copywriter at that point, fresh out of college. Oh god, was I ambitious. So ambitious that I decided I knew better and was going to create my own pitch.”

Poe’s eyebrows disappeared under his curls. “Whoa.”

“I know, right?” she said, laughing at her former self. “Talk about ballsy. But I did it, and I wrote a new slogan and worked with the art department to get some decent mock-ups and presented it to the creative director that morning.”

“And?”

“He loved them. Swapped out the shitty ones Ben had been insisting on immediately.” Rey smiled at the memory. “Honestly, had he not liked them, I probably would have lost my job. But to this day, Sunshine uses my slogan. Sunshine Furniture - Fabulous you can afford.”

Poe was staring at her with a very strange look on his face, almost like he wanted to say more than he was letting on. “I know. It’s an amazing slogan.”

“Small world, right?” 

“Yeah,” he answered, still not quite making eye contact with her. “Ben is your ex, right?”

Over the time they’d been working together, she’d told him the bare essentials of the story, enough for him to get the basic reason why she high-tailed it out of Coruscant. "Yeah."

“Can I ask you a question?” Poe looked at her, face completely serious for the first time that night. 

“Sure.”

“Why were you with him?” Something must have crossed her face because he was immediately backpedaling. “I mean, not that I’m judging you or anything, just… you didn’t seem very happy.”

It was a good question, one she hadn’t really thought about in any logical way since arriving in Yavin. What better way to figure it out than with your ex? “I think it’s that Ben was perfect on paper,” she said, the words feeling right as soon as they were out. “He was only a few years older than me but it looked like he had it all together. His own business, the best people surrounding him, and it didn’t hurt that he was from an amazing family. I mean, his mom is Leia Organa-Solo, the queen of advertising. She came to speak to us my second year of college and I swear that’s why I went into the field. She runs this phenomenal business, sits on every major board in Coruscant, does all this charity work…” Rey trailed off with a laugh, realizing she was rambling. “Sorry, you didn’t ask about Leia Organa-Solo.”

Poe waved her off. “It’s fine, she sounds like an amazing person.”

“She is. So, I thought her son would be too. I worked with him for four years before anything happened. We’d been working closely on a pitch together and we were there super late one night and one thing led to another.” When she looked up, Poe’s face had a pinched look. Best to skim over the rest. “And then we were just kind of together. For about a year, it was amazing. Then the cracks in the facade started to show.”

“Cracks?”

“Yeah, Ben was moody, mercurial when something didn’t go his way. He would talk down to people. There were times when he would disappear for a week without warning, then just show up like nothing happened. By the time I realized that his mom had bailed us out of near bankruptcy three times, I’d already been with him for two years. I was 29, almost 30, and terrified of being alone. So I stayed.” She finished with a shrug, trying to pass it off as no big deal despite the tears that threatened to fall.

She looked down at the cocoa in her hands before turning back to Poe. “Can I make a confession?”

A look of terror passed over his face, though to his credit it was gone as soon as it came. “Sure.”

“I don’t miss him,” she said, looking down at her cup. It felt good to say it, to let the truth air out for a bit. She’d been carrying the weight of it for weeks now. “I was with him on and off for three years. Shouldn’t I be heartbroken? At first I thought I was, but then I realized it was more hurt pride than anything.” Rey looked up, Poe’s expression unreadable. “Oh god, I can’t imagine how I must sound to you. You probably think I’m a terrible person.”

“Listen, I’m no expert on relationships,” he said, pausing to give her a wry smile, “but from what you’ve told me yours wasn’t perfect by a long shot. Admitting you were in a shitty relationship doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Rey tensed, automatically jumping to defend herself. But those words had a truth about them, one that settled just behind her ribs. It _had_ been a shitty relationship. No matter how much she longed to deny it, things had been wrong for a while. It had just taken her leaving Coruscant to see it. 

“You always gave me more credit than I deserved, Dameron.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but I have a feeling we’re just gonna have to agree to disagree, Kenobi.”

She laughed, taking a sip of hot chocolate. The liquid slid down her throat, warming all the way down to her belly.

They stopped next to a stand selling some kind of plant, watching as Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby counted their blessings on the side of Town Hall.

“Excuse me.”

Rey turned to the vendor whose stall they were standing in front of, watching as he pointed to something hanging directly above Poe and Rey’s heads. 

It was small, a cheerful little leafy sprig tied with a red bow. She’d recognize it anywhere. Mistletoe.

They both laughed nervously, Poe rubbing at his beard again.

“Mistletoe,” added the man, rather unhelpfully, “You’ve gotta kiss.”

The look on Poe’s face mirrored her own panic, but he gave a little shrug. “For the sake of tradition? Only if you want to, of course.”

Was he… actually asking to kiss her? A thousand things went through her mind. If she did this, would it be different after all these years? Would this make it weird between them? Did she even care?

The answer to that last one was a resounding no.

“Yes,” she breathed, already leaning forward. Poe met her half way, his lips just as soft and lush as she remembered as they touched hers. 

It was supposed to be a chaste kiss, just a quick brush of the lips to satisfy the tradition and the weirdly voyeuristic mistletoe vendor. But something happened as soon as their lips touched. It felt like a circuit had been completed, one left dormant these many years. Electricity, hot and vibrant, coursed through her at the contact, Rey’s lips parting as Poe deepened the kiss.

They were both a little breathless when they pulled back, Poe’s cheeks pink in the soft light from the square. For a second, it was all she could do to just look at him, his eyes crinkling with the strength of his smile.

Behind them, the mistletoe seller clapped.

“Uh, do you wanna keep walking?” asked Poe, gesturing forward.

“To anywhere but right here? Yes.”

He laughed as they set off towards the square, Poe taking her hand after a couple of steps. It felt so right, a little too right after that kiss. But she let him guide her through the maze of stalls, the two ducking into a darkened corner now and again to sneak another kiss. She feared her face would show the evidence of their activities - that was a thick beard after all - but the whiskers were much softer than she’d imagined, barely tickling the soft skin of her mouth, even they lost themselves in each other for a few minutes.

It was nearly the end of the movie when they finally found their way to the square, sidling up Finn and Rose a respectable distance apart. Not that it was fooling Finn. He looked from one to the other, Rey realizing when he glared at Poe’s mouth that she’d left a bit of lipstick behind. That’s what she got for trying to look nice.

Coming to the same realization, Poe quickly wiped his mouth before Rose could notice. 

“Guys, this is amazing,” said Rose, gesturing around the square. It was packed, even this late in the evening, people sticking around for the grand finale. “We’ve never had this high of attendance.”

“It was nothing,” replied Rey, lying through her teeth. She’d never been more tired in her life, and she had consistently worked 12 hour days at Jedi. 

Rose burst out laughing at Poe’s incredulous look. “I think we all know that’s not true. But you two really knocked it out of the park. You make a great team.”

It was no accident, not judging by the smirk on Rose’s face, but Rey found that she didn’t care. Maybe it was sleep deprivation or maybe it was something else, but it was Poe who answered, “Yeah, we do.”

Something fluttered in Rey’s stomach at the words.

She turned to meet his eyes in the dark, something there that she hadn’t seen in over a decade. When the fireworks started barely five minutes later, Rey slipped her hand into his, regardless of the company. She’d worry about the rest tomorrow.


	7. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the Christmas Market, Rey and Poe figure out how to move forward. Later, a conversation with Uncle Ben clears the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, I had to split my original chapter in half because it became gigantic as I was writing it, so the date that was supposed to happen here got bumped to the next chapter and this ended up with some light angst.

It was well past 10 the next morning when Rey woke in her childhood bed, still exhausted despite the sleep. She’d been up until well into the night with the tear down crew, Rose and Finn finally sending her and Poe home around 2 AM.

“Go,” said Rose, practically pushing Rey away from square. “We can take it from here.” 

The booths were all torn down, but there were at least two more trips needed to get them all back in storage, not to mention all the trash that had to be dealt with. “But, Rose,” Rey said, gearing up to explain just that, when Rose cut her off.

“But nothing. You guys have been here since before dawn, and you’re both barely upright. We’ll finish up here. Go get some sleep.” Rose turned to watch Finn having a similar conversation with Poe. “Or, you know, not.”

Rey opened her mouth to protest, but of course Rose was too quick for her. “Tomorrow. I want to hear all about it tomorrow.”

Rey huffed out a laugh. “Tomorrow.”

Poe and Finn chose that moment to rejoin their group. 

“What’s tomorrow?” Poe looked from one to the other, face drawn yet still smiling. 

“Rey’s gonna call me to debrief,” lied Rose smoothly. 

Poe shook his head. “Well, I guess that’s our cue. Shall we?”

It felt like they were the only two people in the world as they walked hand in hand down the silent streets of Yavin. The whole day had taken on that dreamlike quality that only true exhaustion could produce, those kisses feeling like products of her imagination even just a few hours after the fact. So when they arrived on her front porch, it was still a bit of a surprise when Poe brought his lips to hers, one hand tangling in her loose hair. Her head was spinning when he finally pulled away, his mouth lingering like he couldn’t quite bear to pull away.

“Good night, Kenobi,” he murmured into her lips, before removing his hand from her hair and leaving her to catch her breath on the porch.

Now, in the cold light of day, it felt even less plausible. Had they really made out under the mistletoe? And in a darkened alley between booths? And at her front door?

But most importantly: would he regret it?

She didn’t, not in a million years. Kissing Poe had felt like the least regrettable move she’d made since she'd left Yavin.

Rolling over, she reached for her phone, quickly scrolling past a text from Rose wondering, “WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU TWO?!” in all caps, and yet another text from Ben requesting to talk before settling on the one she was hoping for.

Poe Dameron (10:10 AM): Run?

She quickly deleted the Ben text before typing a response to Poe.

You (10:15 AM): Outside in 5.

Rose’s message could wait. At least until she figured it out herself.

She was downstairs in three minutes, attempting and failing to dodge Uncle Ben’s attention from the kitchen.

“Rey, dear, are you up already?” he said, padding in from the kitchen in his robe and slippers. It was always strange to see him in anything other than one of his tweed coats, even on a Sunday morning. “I wasn’t expecting to see you up for hours yet. What time did you get back? Tell me all about it over coffee.”

Rey shifted from foot to foot, eager to get outside but trying desperately not to look it. “Uh, I was actually about to go for a run. Maybe after?”

“Ah, the young Mister Dameron, I suppose?” At the look on her face, he smiled. “Don’t keep him waiting, the coffee will be here when you get back.”

“It’s not like that,” she insisted, lacing up her shoes. She could feel the lie as soon as it was out of her mouth.

His eyes twinkled with either mirth or mischief in the hall lights. “Of course not, dear.” 

So Rey was on the front porch in four minutes flat, her leggings and long sleeve shirt perfect for the misty day. She didn’t generally run outside in weather like this, but she’d make an exception for the present company.

Speaking of, Poe was already waiting for her with Bee at the edge of the driveway, Rey taking a second to stretch out her calves before jogging out to meet him.

Bee practically lost her mind as Rey walked up, walking in circles until her leash was hopelessly tangled around Poe.

“As you can see, we need to release a little energy after being cooped up most of the day,” he said, trying to unhook the leash from his left leg. 

Once everyone was situated and Bee had been given a good scratch by Rey, they took off.

Rey found their usual silence suffocating. Were they really not going to talk about it? Not that she necessarily thought they needed to have a giant conversation. So, they kissed. Big deal, right? They were both adults and they had some fun. Perhaps Poe went around kissing friends all the time. Rey certainly wasn’t one to judge. She’d had her fair share of meaningless kisses.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Rey wanted the kisses to mean something. It was one of those realizations that hit her like a Mack truck. She wanted to kiss Poe and she wanted those kisses to mean something.

It was such a distracting notion that Rey ran straight past Uncle Ben’s house, not recognizing the end of their loop until Poe yelled after her.

“Shit, I guess I was a little lost in thought,” she said, backtracking to the house. 

Poe laughed. “Yeah, I might have noticed that.”

They continued on their normal stretching routine side-by-side, the silence finally becoming too much for Rey. 

“What are we doing?” she blurted, unable to take it a moment longer. Subtlety had never been her strong suit. “I mean, last night. With the kissing and stuff.”

Poe stopped mid-stretch, twin spots of coloring appearing high on his cheeks that could only partially be blamed on exertion. “I mean, I would like to keep kissing you. If that’s something you want.”

She barely let him finish before answering, “I do.” 

A smile spread across his face, wide enough to show teeth. “Good.” And then he was closing the distance, pressing another one of those soft kisses against her lips. 

For once, she didn’t care what she looked like or how bad she smelled, instead she simply enjoyed the feel of his mouth as it explored her own. Even Bee got a little excited in the moment, winding round and round until they were practically tied together with her leash.

“Whoa,” he said, steadying her as the leash pulled taut. She practically fell into his arms. “Okay, okay, that’s enough, Bee.”

It took a minute to calm her down and disentangle themselves, by which time they’d fallen into yet another awkward silence. Poe ran a hand through his curls, seemingly gearing himself up for something.

“About the rest,” he said, damp hair standing on end thanks to his fidgeting, “I think we can both agree there’s something… unfinished between us.” He reached for one of her hands, running his thumb over her knuckles. “And if you’re willing to try again, then so am I.” Rey opened her mouth to say something, but Poe cut her off. “But I need you to be sure. I’m not going to give you a third chance to break my heart.”

Rey nodded. “That’s fair.” It killed her that he even had to say it out loud, but there was no changing the facts. 

“Just think about it, ok?” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, slightly chapped lips scraping against the skin. “No hard feelings either way.”

As she watched him walk away from her front porch, she realized the truth that her heart had been telling her all along. 

She’d never stopped loving Poe Dameron.

Oh, she’d buried it, in school, in work, in other people, but beneath it all that fact had remained. And she needed him to know.

You (11:02 AM): I’m all in.

She could hear Poe’s phone ping from across the yard, watching with bated breath as he dug it out of his pocket. His head shot up immediately, eyes meeting hers.

“You sure, Kenobi?” he yelled, unable to hide the smile on his face even a house away. Bee gently tugged the leash, trying to get Poe moving.

“Never been more sure of anything in my life, Dameron,” she shouted back, her own smile making her cheeks ache.

“Dinner?”

“Text me.” She held up her phone to demonstrate.

Then she watched as Poe’s attention dropped to his own phone, hers pinging cheerfully a second or two later.

Poe Dameron (11:04 AM): Dinner?

You (11:04 AM): Dork.

You (11:04 AM): When and where?

Poe Dameron (11:05 AM): My place? 7?

You (11:05 AM): I’ll be there.

When she looked up, Poe was still grinning at her next door. “See you then!” he shouted, opening the front door.

“You’re still a dork, Dameron,” she shouted back before he disappeared into the house, earning another dazzling smile for her troubles.

Ok, she was definitely in trouble.

Finally, she went inside, closing the door firmly behind her. With a sigh, she leaned her back against the door, smiling to herself. It had been forever since she’d felt like this, that first date excitement that came only when the possibilities were endless. Though this could hardly be considered a first date, not when they’d done this all before. Still, it certainly felt like a new beginning.

A slurp drew Rey’s attention to the other end of the hall.

Uncle Ben stood watching her, coffee in hand, a rather smug look on his face for a man still in his pajamas. 

“What?” she asked, unable to keep the heat from her cheeks. There was no way he hadn’t heard what was going on outside, but hell if she wasn’t going to play dumb.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” he replied in a tone that implied the exact opposite. “Just drinking my coffee.”

“Uh, huh,” she said, not believing a word out of his mouth. There was no way he was going to let this go. “I’m going to shower and then I’ll be back down.”

He answered by taking another audible sip.

She left him in the hall to shower, hurrying through her typical routine. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. She’d have to talk to Uncle Ben eventually.

Ten minutes later she was sitting across from him, wet hair finagled into a messy bun, sipping her coffee and waiting for the interrogation to begin.

It didn’t take long.

“So, you and Poe,” he said, taking a sip from his mug, “I heard you two were quite cozy last night.”

Rey leaned forward on her elbows. “And where did you hear that?”

“I never reveal my sources, dear.” Rey tried not to laugh at the devilish grin on his face. “But they did happen to see you two making out between the booths last night before the fireworks.”

Lucky guess or actual visual confirmation? Rey supposed it didn’t matter in the end. There was no point in denying it. They had been caught. “What of it?”

“So it is true.” As she watched his face light up, Rey wasn’t sure who was more excited about that, Uncle Ben or herself. “And you two have hashed everything out?”

“For the most part. But we’re having dinner tonight.”

“Rey.” Without warning, Uncle Ben’s expression turned serious. “I love you dearly, but there’s no denying you did a number on that boy. You two need to discuss what happened, be completely honest with each other or this is never going to work.”

Hearing it from Uncle Ben’s lips hurt more than she cared to admit. Of course she’d known that her refusal had hurt Poe, Finn’s reaction to her return was enough to tell her that, but to have it spelled out by the only father she’d ever known? That was a whole different story.

To distract from the ache in her chest, she took another sip of coffee. “I know that. We’ve talked a bit. He asked me why I did it.” She took a deep breath, willing herself to go on. “And I know this is the last chance I’m getting, so I don’t plan on wasting it.”

“Good. Now, does this mean I can expect to enjoy your company for the foreseeable future?”

Ah, so that’s what this was really about. Even with the light tone, she could feel the deep undercurrent of hurt in his words. It finally clicked in Rey’s head. While she was sure he was worried about Poe, it all came back to her 12 year absence in Yavin.

Deep down, she’d known it had been hard on Uncle Ben, the extended absences, her outright refusal to come home. It had always helped to pretend that paying for him to come to Coruscant a couple of times a year made up for it, but that obviously wasn’t the case.  In the end, her selfishness had hurt every single person in her life. Over the years, she'd convinced herself Poe had borne the brunt of her poor choices. Sure, her decision to leave Yavin had affected others, Finn, Rose, Uncle Ben, but it was Poe who she had wronged, Poe to whom she must now make amends. But that just wasn’t the truth.

Above all, she had abandoned the man who raised her, the only father-figure she’d ever known, and for what? The life she thought she deserved? 

“I’m not going anywhere this time, I promise.” She got up and wrapped her arms around Uncle Ben, taking a minute to breath in the faint scent of pipesmoke that lingered on his skin. Without warning, she found herself crying. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’ve been-” She almost said “a terrible daughter” but caught herself at the last minute. It wasn’t that she didn’t think of herself as Ben Kenobi’s daughter. On the contrary, Rey knew Uncle Ben was her father in all the ways that counted. For some reason, they’d just never used those words. She took a deep, heaving breath before finishing, “just awful to you.”

“Oh, Rey.” He hugged her back fiercely, it always coming as a surprise how strong he was at his age. “Sweetheart, there’s no need to cry. I understand.”

That just made her cry harder. If there was one thing that Rey was 100% certain of, it was that she didn’t deserve Ben Kenobi.

As if to drive that point home, Uncle Ben rubbed her back. “There, there. It’s not all bad.”

“But I left you alone all these years!” she said, pulling back enough to look him in the eye.

His smile was a little more sad than she was used to as he cupped one of her cheeks. “I wasn’t alone, dear, not by a long shot. Though I missed you terribly, I was surrounded by friends and family here. Something tells me that wasn’t the case for you.”

While she hated to admit it, there was truth in his words. The weeks here full of friends and family and laughter had thrown her old life into sharp relief. Looking back, it was easy to see how lonely she’d been, her entire world focused on two points: Ben and work. How sad was that?

When she finally nodded, Uncle Ben gave a hearty sigh. “Well, all that changes now, dear.” He pushed back a few loose strands of hair that had fallen into her face. “Though if you are planning to stay, we should definitely get you a real bed. That mattress is older than you are.”

Rey burst out laughing, wrapping Uncle Ben in another hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too, dear,” he replied, not quite ready to let her go yet.


	8. The Big Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Poe have their second first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for being a day late with this (though hopefully it's not a dollar short), but with Rise of Skywalker yesterday and work going crazy before the break, it just didn't happen. It also put me woefully behind, so this most likely isn't going to wrap up before Christmas (which is fine, since the story technically ends on New Years).
> 
> Enjoy!

At 7 PM sharp, Rey stood on Poe’s front porch, fiddling with her outfit. It had been Uncle Ben’s suggestion to wear the green dress ( _ It looks so pretty with your eyes! _ ), but now standing here under the porch light, she was having second thoughts.

In fact, she was having second thoughts about the whole thing, her nerves leaving her with a stomach full of butterflies. After her conversation with Uncle Ben that morning, she felt hollowed out, her emotions raw and ragged even hours later. They’d spent the better part of the day just talking, saying all the things that they never spoke of all these years. It was both cathartic and exhausting, so when he suggested the dress, Rey couldn't refuse.

It was fairly plain, a sleeveless jewel-toned green sheath that hit just above the knee. In fact, it would practically be a work dress were it not for the three-inch band of matching green sequins along the hem. She’d paired it with black tights and a pair of flats that Maz had packed in the box, leaving her hair down. 

Poe hadn’t told her she needed to dress up per se, but when she’d pried him for details via text, all he’d say was that he was cooking for her. Perhaps it was just her overactive imagination, that but sounded suspiciously like a date to her. So, a dress it was.

A gust of frigid wind made her finally ring the antique doorbell, those butterflies threatening to get the better of her as she heard Bee scramble to the door with a bark, nails clicking on the hardwood.

The door opened a second later, giving her no time to whatsoever to freak out about whether or not this was actually a date. 

For his part, Poe stood on the other side of the door looking dapper as ever in a plain white button-down and fitted pair of jeans. For all its simplicity, he wore the hell out of the shirt, the cut perfect on his broad chest, especially with the top two buttons undone. The sleeves had been rolled up to expose those tanned forearms, one of which was reaching down to grab Bee’s collar.

“Come in,” he said, dragging both himself and the dog backwards to let Rey through. “Just give me a sec.” He closed the door behind her, finally letting go of Bee’s collar so she could say hello.

Rey gave her a pat while the dog did excited circles around her, laughing when Bee gave her a sniff and promptly lost interest to pad down the hall and into the kitchen. 

Poe shook his head and laughed. “Here, let me take your coat.”

She had opted for form over function, donning the sleek grey belted coat that she’d brought with her from Coruscant. Untying the belt, she let Poe slide it off her shoulders, turning so she faced him when he finished hanging it.

His breath caught as he turned to take her in.

She watched those soft brown eyes travel down her body and back up, the hunger on his face sending a shiver down her spine. 

“You look amazing,” he said, voice low, a little huskier than usual. 

She wanted to say something glib -  _ Oh what, you mean this old thing?  _ \- but the words died on her lips as Poe leaned forward, the certainty that he was about to kiss her thrumming through her veins…

Only for Bee to choose that moment to force her way between them, head-butting Rey for more pets.

They both laughed, the earlier tension dissipating as quickly as it had come. 

It hit her that the house smelled amazing, something rich and garlicky wafting from the back half. Her stomach grumbled audibly.

Poe smiled again, his eyes doing that crinkle thing she found so endearing. Age had certainly been kind to him. “Come on, dinner’s just about ready.” He grabbed her hand, leading her (and by proxy, Bee) into the dining room. 

The table had been set for two, complete with candles and wine and what appeared to be the good china (which, side note, since when had Poe owned  _ china _ ?). It wasn’t just her imagination; this was a proper date. He even pulled the damn chair out for her. Suddenly, Rey found herself very glad she opted for the dress.

After pouring the wine - another red like on Thanksgiving - Poe disappeared into the kitchen for a second, coming back with a colorful salad and some bread. “First course.”

“There are courses?” she said, trying not to sound as incredulous as she felt. Who was this man, and what had he done with Poe Dameron? The last time they’d done this, Poe’s idea of a date had been going to the movie theater three towns over and making out as soon as the lights went down. There was possibly a McDonald's stop afterwards. Then again, they had been barely 18. 

The passage of time weighed heavily on her. They weren’t 18 anymore, that was for sure, and she’d do well to remember it. 

“Three,” he answered, smiling down at her. She couldn’t deny that he looked proud of that fact. “Salad, main course, and dessert.” 

“Impressive, Dameron.”

Without warning, he bent down to place a soft kiss on her lips, Rey barely able to get over her surprise long enough to kiss him back before he was pulling away again.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, still cupping her cheek. He towered over her like this, but there was nothing intimidating about Poe’s presence in her space. Not like someone else she knew. “I told myself I was going to take it slow, but I’ve been dying to do that since you walked through the door.”

She laughed, the sound bringing a smile to his face. “It’s been like five minutes.”

“I know. Pure torture.” A cheerful ding from the kitchen drew his (and Bee’s) attention. “That’ll be the main course.” He was gone a second later, Bee wagging happily behind him. 

Rey barely had enough time to plate the salad before Poe was back, a steaming dish of pasta in his hands. 

Her mouth started watering instantly. “And he cooks, too.”

“Don’t get too excited,” he said, dropping in to the chair next to hers. “I’m a bit of a one trick pony in the kitchen. Before I moved out, Dad made me learn what he referred to as a signature dish. First, so I wouldn’t starve to death on only Cheetos and coffee, and second, so I’d have something to impress the ladies.”

Though she laughed at what was obviously a joke, something in her prickled at the mention of other women. Once again, she found herself wondering what he had been up to all these years, and who with. “Well, either way, it smells delicious.” 

It tasted even better than it smelled. 

By the time he cleared the plates from dessert, Rey had slipped into that contented haze that only came from good food and better company.

“Let me help you,” she said, standing up and grabbing a plate. 

He waved her off, relieving her of the dish. “No way, you’re a guest. Why don’t you go wait with Bee in the living room. Should only take a minute.”

With the plates still in his hands, he leaned over to brush his lips against hers. What was surely meant as a chaste kiss turned heated as his lips lingered, a swipe of Rey’s tongue leaving them making out in the middle of the dining room.

When he finally broke the kiss a second later, Rey’s chest was heaving, her skin heated. “I thought we were taking it slow,” she panted, their breath mingling with his forehead still pressed against hers.

Poe barked out a laugh. “That’s what I keep telling myself. I figured if I said it enough, it would be true.” With that, he took a step back. “But we should talk about… this. Whatever it is. Just give me a couple of minutes.”

Rey nodded, edging her way out of the room as Poe did the same in the opposite direction. It felt magnetic, what they had for each other, and they both seemed to recognize if they didn’t get out of its pull they would never part.

So Rey found her way to the living room, a roaring fire in one corner welcoming her. It was as impeccably decorated as the rest of the rooms she’d seen, floor to ceiling bookcases dominating one whole wall. An assortment of seating options sat in the middle of the space, Rey opting to drop onto the couch to wait out Poe. A second later Bee bounded in, Poe letting her out from wherever he kept her while they were eating. Rey had told him it was fine, but he didn’t want Bee begging the entire time. Not that Bee seemed any worse for the wear as she jumped onto the couch, dropping her massive head into Rey’s lap. 

This night was turning out to be the polar opposite of any date she’d been on with Ben. There was a level of comfort here that had always been lacking with her ex, a familiarity that eased her earlier nerves. With Ben, it had always been about the appearances, reservations at the best restaurants, tickets to the hardest to see shows. But none of that compared to intimacy of a home-cooked meal and the way Poe was looking at her when she finally noticed his presence in the doorway.

“Hey,” she said, the word more breath than voice. Absently, she wondered how long he’d been standing there as he smiled down at her and Bee.

“Hey,” he replied, still leaning against the doorjamb. Bee’s head shot up. “How about a tour?”

It was obvious they were both avoiding the inevitable conversation, but she couldn't help but nod, Poe leaving the doorway to offer her a hand up. Bee followed behind as Poe took her room by room, Rey’s eyes growing larger by the minute.

It was like someone had stepped into her head, every design choice one she would make for herself and each room more beautiful than the last. Somewhere around the third (or was it the fourth?) bedroom, her curiosity got the better of her. 

“This is gorgeous,” she said, running a hand over the soft champagne comforter. The room was done in shades of cream and gold, something straight out of a magazine. “Did you have a designer or something?” 

The real question lingered just below the surface.  _ Was there someone else, someone you did all this for? _

“Nah. Let’s just say I watched a lot of HGTV that year.” He laughed, running a hand over the top of the dresser. “And Rose was always happy to put her two cents in when I got stuck.”

After a quick walk through the third floor, they headed back to the living room, Rey sinking into the same couch as before. “I am obsessed with this couch. It has to be the most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on.”

“It better be. This thing took me months to make. First time I’d ever tried to upholster anything.” He ran an appraising hand across one arm before dropping next to Rey. 

“Wait, you made this couch?”

Poe ran a hand through his hair, suddenly nervous. “Well, yeah. I made all the furniture in here.”

Rey looked around, taking in the giant bookcases, multiple armchairs, and at least three end tables she could see. “Like, in this room?”

Poe shook his head. “No, the house.”

This place had to be damn near 4,000 square feet, every room containing multiple pieces. “You’re telling me you made all the furniture in this entire house?” She didn’t even try to hide her disbelief.

He gave her a look like she was being dense. “Yeah. I have a workshop out back.”

She couldn’t stop the next words out of her mouth. “Jesus, Poe. These pieces are amazing. You are wasting your talent at that factory.”

Poe gave a nervous chuckle, tugging on his beard. “I highly doubt that.”

“No, really. You could make a fortune selling these designs.” Her mind was racing. She could easily market these, the designs were impeccable, the execution flawless. In fact, they reminded her of a much more upscale version of Sunshine. Maybe that was why he didn’t want to sell his own stuff.

“Ain’t that the truth,” he muttered under his breath. Then louder, “But that’s neither here nor there. We should probably talk about was what we’re doing.”

Though she wanted to push the furniture subject, she bit her tongue. This, whatever this was between them, was the real reason she was here. There was no point delaying the conversation. “Of course.”

He grabbed her hands, his eyes dark as they fixed on her own. “I’m not gonna lie, the thought of trying this again with you terrifies me,” he said, giving her a half smile to soften the blow. She wouldn’t pretend that his words didn’t sting. “But I want to try again. I just think we should take it slow.”

Rey quirked her eyebrows up, earning a laugh from Poe. Bee lifted her head at their feet to investigate.

“Yes, I’m well aware that means I need to stop mauling you every chance I get,” he said, running a thumb across her knuckles. 

Rey pulled her eyes up from their joined hands and the hypnotic way his thumb brushed her skin and forced herself to meet Poe’s gaze. “So, taking it slow. What did you have in mind?” Even to her own ears, she sounded suspicious, but this was a lesson she’d learned the hard way with Ben. While she wanted to believe that Poe wouldn’t take advantage of her like that, never again would she be fooled by vague promises and pretty words.

“Hadn’t really got that far yet.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “But, I figured we could start with the Jingle Ball. Go with me.”

She knew what he was asking, but she needed to hear the words. Time to play dumb. “I don’t think we have a choice, we’re running the thing.”

“Together. Let’s go together, matching outfits and everything. Treat it as a coming out party, get the town used to seeing us together again. Unless… ” he paused, uncertainty flashing across his face, “you don’t plan on staying.”

It seemed that was the question of the day. She couldn’t even blame him or Uncle Ben. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done just that in the past.

So she repeated the words she’d said to Uncle Ben that morning. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What about your career? What happens if you get a new job?”

“You’d have to be applying for jobs in order to get one.” She laughed at the incredulous look on his face. “My entire adult life has been spent chasing the next big thing. First I needed the best internship, then the perfect job offer, and after that it was always the next pitch or promotion. I spent so long focusing on what came next, I don’t even know if this is what I want to do with my life. I’m good at it, but is that enough?”

“That’s a question only you can answer.”

“I know, and that’s what I intend to do. They gave me a generous severance package, so I have some time to figure things out.” That was the understatement of the century. Rey had finally opened the package up last week, read the details of her separation from Jedi. The severance package was a number she could barely comprehend, an obvious attempt to pay her off, keep quiet about why she was really let go. While it didn’t sit well with her, it wasn’t like turning down the money would change anything. She’d still be out of a job, just quite a bit poorer. So she’d take Jedi’s money and figure out her next move, whatever that would be. “And I plan to do it here.”

Poe didn’t look all that convinced.

She squeezed his hand, not letting her eyes waver from his. Again, she repeated, “I promise you, I’m not going anywhere, Poe. When I said I’m all in, that meant I’m all in.”

His answering smile was slow to spread across his face, but the end result nearly blinded her in its brilliance. Dropping her hand to bring it up to her face, he gently brought her in, this kiss impossibly soft and sweet and everything she needed in order to know that she’d finally made the right choice.


	9. Jingle Ball Rock - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve brings out the best and worst in people as Yavin prepares for the Jingle Ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, apologies for updating so late. The holiday ended up being a lot busier than expected and duty called.
> 
> Second, the chapter count went up (again!) because I'm me and I didn't quite realize how many words it would take to write this chapter. So it got split.
> 
> Third, I hope you enjoy the home stretch of this fic! It's been a blast to write and I'm so glad people appear to be liking it. Since the next chapter is substantially finished, I hope to update quickly as this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Christmas Eve dawned bright and cold, the blue sky showing no sign of the promised snow. Rey had resigned herself to the inevitable. It wouldn’t be a white Christmas this year.

But snow was on the brain as she made her way to the center of town for the beginning of the Snowflake Parade. 

The week or so since the Christmas Market (and the conversations that followed) had flashed by Rey’s eyes in a flurry of work and planning and taking it slow with Poe.

Turned out, taking it slow was not one of Rey’s strong suits. In fact, the chaste kisses and breaking apart just when things were starting to get good was slowly driving her mad. She’d always gone headlong into her romances - harder, faster, more being the words of the day. It had only been a little more than a week, and already something was itching under her skin, always just out of reach. And she knew from experience there was only one way to scratch that particular itch.

But she _had_ agreed to Poe’s terms, and as such she would respect his wishes. Even if it killed her.

That morning, Rey and Poe were paired off at the starting line, making sure all the groups stepped off for the parade on time and properly spaced.

It was pure madness, flag bearers mixing with majorettes and marching bands, horses carrying police officers from two towns over, not to mention the firetrucks and ambulances that would eventually park in the square for kids to get up close and personal with, and Rey and Poe were in the center of it all.

That didn’t stop them from sharing a few loaded glances or a reassuring touch in passing, the tension in her already stretched taut body reaching a breaking point. She forced herself to take a deep breath, focus on the next group to step off, instead of wishing the day away in lieu of dreaming about the Jingle Ball.

Everything was set, from the live band to the caterers to the decoration committee. The event would take place at the Tico’s place, a converted barn that acted as an event space for weddings and anniversaries and yes, even balls. 

The last group on their list stepped off at 2 PM sharp, the parade route taking around half an hour at the accepted pace. Rey stretched her gloved fingers, willing a little motion into the frozen joints. The sun had disappeared around an hour ago, the sky turning a uniform iron gray. _Snow clouds_ , she thought to herself. Of course, the snow would come just in time for the damn ball.

But there still wasn’t a flake in sight when she found Poe finishing up briefing the volunteers. They’d be walking the parade route shortly, cleaning up anything discarded so they could reopen the streets on time. The permit from Mayor Calrissian was quite firm.

“Hey,” he said, noticing her approach. Checking to make sure no one was looking, he leaned over to kiss her, the tip of his nose freezing as it brushed against her cheek.

It wasn’t that they were hiding it per se, just keeping it quiet until tonight. Not that most of the town didn’t already know or guess. A town this size didn’t get many secrets.

“Hey,” she responded, a little breathy, the heat that had been pooling in her stomach all week ratcheting up another notch. 

“I just have to talk to one more group, then you wanna head down to the end of the route?” Poe looked rather less affected by the kiss than Rey. Or at least, he didn’t look in danger of burning alive from the inside out like she was. Then again, this whole taking it slow thing was his idea.

They made it to where Finn and Rose were stationed before the parade officially ended, watching as a dance troop shook it to a poppy version of Jingle Bell Rock that blared from speakers unseen.

“Great job, guys. Everything went perfectly down here,” said Rose, ticking off another act on her clipboard. “Four acts left, and then it’s Jingle Ball time.”

“Are we all set for that?” asked Rey, already knowing the answer. They had spent something like 12 hours yesterday setting up tables and hanging decorations, the four of them too tired to do much more than grunt at each other by the end of the evening.

Rose took her eyes off the parade to smile at her. “You know it. All that’s left is to get ready for the thing.”

All that was left was to get ready for the thing.

As she sat at the small vanity in her childhood bedroom a few hours later, Rey couldn’t help but remember the last time she’d been in this spot. Prom night, twelve years ago. Poe had been her date then, too. Despite the years since then, she couldn't help but feeling like this was her second chance, a way to end the night differently, and Rey was pulling out all the stops. 

Her dress hung behind her in the reflection from the mirror, all long, blank elegance.

She hadn’t even decided on a decade yet when Poe asked her to be his date. All along the plan had been to raid the attic, Uncle Ben notorious in his packrat ways. She figured it would be something from the seventies, a ridiculous pair of bell-bottoms or perhaps a fun disco dress, not expecting to find quite the treasure trove.

_“Here dear, try these,” said Uncle Ben, handing her a stack of boxes labelled “Satine.”_

_Of course she recognized the name, that of Uncle Ben’s late wife. Technically, her Aunt Satine, though she had died so long before Rey came to live here, it was hard to connect to her as such. Uncle Ben barely spoke of her, but she knew that they’d been married young and spent a few blissful years together before Satine passed shortly before her thirtieth birthday. Younger than Rey was now. He’d moved to America almost directly after._

_“Are you sure?” Rey held the boxes, watching Uncle Ben’s face carefully._

_He smiled, though it didn’t quite touch his eyes. “Of course. Satine would be positively livid to think these have been sitting up here collecting dust all these years. ‘They’re meant to be seen, Ben! To be lived in! To be loved in!’ she would say.” As if to emphasize the point, he opened one of the boxes, revealing a very mustard sweater. “You know, she was built quite like you, tall and thin, but strong, so very strong.” He blinked a few times, lost in thought._

_Rey quickly averted her eyes, focusing on the box in front of her. Most of it was out there, wild patterns and funky cuts, but all the way at the bottom there was a glimpse of black satin peeking out from behind a fuscia scarf._

_“Oh,” she said pulling out the dress, the word more breath than actual sound. It was a gown, simple in its elegance, a long column of black satin still in pristine condition._

_“Ah, yes,” said Uncle Ben, helping her to shake out the gown. Rey couldn’t help but notice the distinctive cut out in the back. It looked like something Audrey Hepburn wore in a movie. “She wore this to our first date. Prom.” For a split second, he looked so heartbreakingly sad, Rey had to look away again. By the time she looked back, his face had returned to normal. “There should be a set of gloves around here somewhere.” He rummaged around a box full of tiny purses and scarves and beads. “Ah ha!” Triumphantly, he held up a single long, black glove. “Oh, that won’t do,” he said, diving back into the box._

_Rey looked at the beautiful dress in her hands, and then at Uncle Ben. “I can’t wear this.”_

_“Whyever not, dear?” He genuinely looked perplexed._

_“It means too much. And I’m just a nobody…”_

_Uncle Ben fixed her with a stern look. “Young lady, that’s enough. You are not nobody, you’re my daughter, and Satine would have been honored to have you wear this dress. Honored to have you as a daughter as well.”_

_There were tears in her eyes when she looked up from the black fabric. “Then why have we never used those words? You’re the only father I’ve ever known, and I still call you ‘Uncle Ben.’”_

_She heard the breath catch in his chest, looking up to find tears streaming down his face. “Oh, Rey. I just always assumed…”_

_“What?”_

_He took a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh. “When you came to live with me, it wasn’t an easy transition.”_

_Rey laughed, remembering those first few months and the holy terror she had been. That was the understatement of the century._

_“Back then, we barely knew each other and ‘uncle’ seemed to go down a lot easier than ‘dad’ or ‘father.’_ _And by the time it made sense, it seemed like you weren’t interested in calling me anything but uncle. I just assumed that was your choice.”_

_“And I assumed it was yours.”_

_Uncle Ben laughed, the sound almost a sob. “Don’t we make a pair?”_

_“Dad?” Rey tried the word out, loving the feel of it on her tongue._

_Her father closed his eyes. “Oh, that’s even better than I imagined, daughter.”_

_At that, Rey fell into his arms, the two holding on to each other for dear life._

That had settled it for her. She would wear her mother’s dress with her father’s blessing.

Her hair was too short for the beehive that would go with the dress, so she pulled it back as best she could into a french twist (after watching no less than three Youtube how-tos). She was in the middle of trying to apply the perfect winged eyeliner when her phone rang.

Not looking at the caller ID, she hit the speaker button, assuming it was Rose with yet another non-emergency for the third time that afternoon. “Yeah?” she said, vaguely in the direction of the phone.

“Rey?”

She promptly dropped the eyeliner pen at the sound of the voice.

“Ben?”

“You finally picked up. I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I must have left 10 messages.”

The sound of the doorbell brought her back to reality. Shit, Poe must be here.

“Fifteen. And you think you’d take the hint already. I have no intention of talking to you.” She quickly put the finishing touch on her second eye.

“I went to your place but your landlord said you’d gone home. Where are you?”

She laughed, the sound anything but happy. “If you can’t even remember where I’m from after three years, then it really was the right call to end this.”

“Just hear me out-”

Rey rolled her eyes at her reflection. She had to admit, the liner had turned out pretty fantastic, if she did say so herself. “Listen, I have this big town charity ball I need to get to and you’ve already taken up enough of my time. Goodbye, Ben.”

“But Rey-”

It was far too satisfying to jab the end button mid sentence, and even more so to block his number a second later. 

Dad’s voice came up from the bottom of the stairs. “Rey, darling, your beau is here.”

Rey donned her elbow length gloves, checked the mirror one final time to make sure there was no lipstick on her teeth and her eyeliner hadn’t smudged, and made her way to the top of the steps. 

She hadn’t told Poe what she was wearing, instead telling him to use _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ as his inspiration. As she made her way down the steps, she couldn’t help but approve of his choices.

He wore a dark suit, the slim cut hugging his body to perfection. A dark tie finished the look, so thin it couldn’t be from any other era. He’d apparently gotten a haircut for the occasion, his curls shorter than they had been that afternoon but still perfectly coiffed across his forehead. Even his beard had received a trim, the dark whiskers cut neat and close to his face. 

All thoughts of Ben and that stupid phone call flew out of her mind as soon as those warm, brown eyes locked on her, his lips parted slightly in awe. And if she took the steps a little more slowly than strictly necessary, well, who would blame her for wanting to make an entrance?

“You look beautiful,” breathed Poe as she came level with him, the heels she had Maz send from Coruscant leaving her a full inch taller than her date. And he seemed very happy with that prospect.

She found herself a little lost in his gaze. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

A throat clearing just behind her reminded them they were not alone.

“As promised, Mr. Dameron,” said her father, handing over his keys. “I expect both of my girls to come home in the exact condition they left.”

“We’re taking the Jag?” She looked from Poe to her dad and back again.

Poe’s smile was more of a smirk than anything else. “It goes with the theme.”

There was no way he didn’t see the parallels, no way he wasn’t remembering, much like her, the last time they’d been in this position. But if he wasn’t going to bring it up, then neither was she.

“Wait, how are you getting there?” She turned toward her father, taking in his outfit for the first time. “Woah.”

He was in a pair of wide bell bottoms so vibrantly orange she wished there were a pair of sunglasses handy. That, paired with a silky floral shirt the same shade, made for quite the picture.

“It was the height of fashion in the seventies, my dear. Lando is wearing one in purple. We even found one for Kes in a respectable navy that he may or may not be wearing when he picks me up in an hour.” He put his hands on her shoulders, bending slightly to place a kiss on her forehead. “Now, go have fun. I’ll see you there.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Though the word still felt strange in her mouth after all these years, it had already nestled somewhere behind her ribs, settling in for the long haul. Nothing felt more right than the way that word took up residence in her heart.

Without further ado, she accepted Poe’s proffered elbow, letting him lead her out to the Jag. Like the gentleman he was, he opened the door, Rey trying to slide in as gracefully as possible.

“So, Dad? That’s new,” he said once they were on their way, his expression careful in the glow of the passing streetlights.

She watched the shadows play across his handsome face, throwing his profile into even sharper relief. “We had a talk. A long-overdue talk. With me deciding to stay, it felt... right.”

Poe rolled to a stop on the country road, leaning over to kiss Rey soundly on the mouth.

“What was that for?” she asked once he’d started back down the road, unable to keep the laugh out of her voice. His mouth was now tinted the same bright red as her ruined lipstick, something they’d have to deal with before entering the Jingle Ball.

Poe huffed out a laugh, the smile lingering on his reddened lips. “Just because. You’ve been nothing but one surprise after another, Kenobi.”

There wasn’t much else to say as they pulled up to the ball, Poe coming around to help her out of the car. As Poe led her into the room, she felt like a true princess on the arm of her handsome prince, even when a flapper straight out of the roaring ‘20s nearly tackled her in a hug.

“Oh my god, you look amazing!” came Rose’s voice from somewhere near her shoulder. 

Rey held her at arm’s length. “Let me get a look at you.” Rose treated her to a little spin, the fringe accentuating the move. “Damn, girl.”

“I know, right?” Rose seemed pretty damn happy with herself. 

Rey finally noticed Finn in a dark, over the top pinstripe suit, complete with fedora. “Where in the world…”

Finn laughed at whatever look crossed her face. “Listen, I don’t ask why my dad had this lying around, I just accept it and move on.”

“Fair enough,” she replied, allowing herself to be drawn further into the room.

The space was like something out of a dream, Rey and Rose setting it up so you started in 1900 with each step toward the band bringing you closer to 2020. Speaking of the band, they had a setlist that spanned the ages, sock hop tunes mixed with ‘90s pop and disco anthems. Along either side stood photo wall after photo wall, each backdrop representing a decade, complete with props. Volunteer photographers would be milling about to take pictures that you could buy at the end of the night, all proceeds going to the charity, of course.

The night flew by in a whirlwind of dinner and dancing, Rey never too far from Poe as they made their debut. And yet, no one seemed surprised that they spent the night in each other’s arms. Apparently, there really were no secrets in a town this small.

It was well into the evening when Rey felt a tap on her shoulder, a half smile still on her lips when she came face to face with Ben Solo.


	10. Jingle Ball Rock - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the Jingle Ball brings surprises all around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Part 2, hot off the presses.
> 
> The angst is coming, just not in this chapter, so sit back, relax, and enjoy!
> 
> Also, to clear up something that may not have been clear in the last chapter: about 4 hours have passed from when Ben called Rey to when he showed up.

Rey stared into the face of Ben Solo.

He looked like shit, not that it mattered anymore, hair stringy and unkempt with deep purplish bruises under his eyes. His normally pale skin was a terrifying shade of white, like he hadn’t seen the sun for the entire month she’d been here.

She said the first thing that came to her mind. “What the fuck?”

“Rey,” he said, his dark eyes wild under the lights, “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“How the hell did you find me?” She took a step back, her back bumping into Poe’s solid chest. It grounded her, taking some of the terror out of her voice and replacing it with anger.

“You said that you had a charity ball, so I googled it and here I am.” Of course he would. And he also wouldn’t find anything creepy or weird about it. 

The next second, those dark eyes narrowed at her, taking in her proximity to Poe, the matching attire. He drew himself up to his full height, towering over her even in the heels. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

Poe’s voice came from just over her shoulder. “Uh, is this who I think it is?”

She was so worried about Poe’s reaction to her ex's sudden reappearance that she didn’t even notice Ben was coming for her until his fingers closed completely around her upper arms. “You need to come back.” 

“Ben, let go of me,” she said, his grip only tightening. 

“Everything is falling apart, Sienar wouldn’t sign the contract, Snoke and Hux are trying to cut me out of my own business, the clients are all jumping ship.” He squeezed even tighter, shaking her a little for emphasis. "You can fix this. The clients always loved you."

“Ben, you’re hurting me!” she ground out, teeth clenched. Half the town had stopped dancing to watch the drama unfold. Rey’s face heated. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Finn pushing his way through the crowd.

“Come on, man. That’s enough, let her go.” Poe put a hand over one of Ben’s, prizing her arm from his grip. There was no doubt in her mind that there would be bruises in the morning.

Ben swatted away the hand. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Poe took a breath, ostensibly to say something, but they never got that far. With her right arm now free, Rey took advantage of Ben’s momentary distraction to wind up and swing just like Ben Kenobi had taught all those years ago. Just in case.

Her knuckles exploded in pain the second they met Ben’s face, but the damage was already done. Stunned, he let go of her, wheeling back a step. Rey stumbled backward from the force of it, Poe there to catch her before she fell.

“You fucking bitch! I’ll have you arrested for assault!”

The band cut off abruptly.

Ben Solo was many things, one of which was too dumb to notice the circle of townspeople closing in around him, led by Finn. “You know, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Nobody asked you,” spat Ben. He looked around, finally having the good sense to look nervous when he realized he was surrounded. 

But Finn wasn’t done yet. “The way I see it, Rey was acting in self defense. Don’t you agree, Sheriff?”

The Sheriff stepped forward. “You know, I did see him trying to take a swing at her. It’s a shame Rey got to him first. I would have enjoyed showing him what happens when someone threatens one of our own. Boys?” Two on-duty deputies appeared out of thin air. “Get this sorry excuse for a man out of here.”

“With pleasure, boss,” said a kid who couldn’t be more than 20 as he grabbed Ben and dragged him from the dance floor. 

“I was going to give you another chance!” shouted Ben. “You’ll regret this!”

Rey was still shaking slightly in Poe’s arms, but she found her voice in enough time to shout back, “I don’t think I will!”

As soon as he was out the door, Rose stepped forward. “Alright, nothing to see here folks.” She turned toward the band. “Let’s take it from the top!”

The crowd dispersed as the band started to play again, Rose rushing over to where Finn and Poe and everyone’s fathers were all standing around her. 

Rey shook out her hand. “Shit, that hurt a lot worse than I thought it would.”

Her dad grabbed her already reddening hand. “Well, that’s because your technique was a bit off, but it was otherwise effective. Let’s get some ice for this hand.”

He melted into the crowd, leaving her alone with Poe.

He’d been quiet, too quiet, since Ben had showed up. Would he be mad at her for ruining the night? Doubting her resolve to stay here after Ben’s offer? Not that she thought it was still on the table after decking him, but she could imagine Poe’s worry. Perhaps the scene had left him second-guessing the whole decision to try again. She snuck a glance, unsure of what she would find on his face.

Awe, pure, unadulterated awe, was etched into every line of his face, the look leaving Rey warm in all the best ways.

A throat clearing behind her dragged her gaze from Poe, Rey turning to find herself face to face with Finn.

She found herself overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you for that back there. I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but it meant a lot that you’d stand up for me.”

Finn’s face crumpled for a moment before he threw an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, nobody talks to my peanut like that.”

Rey took a sharp breath at the sound of her old nickname, tears springing to her eyes. Finn took one look at her face and pulled her into a full hug.

“Look, you’ve been trying so hard since you got back, and I’ve done nothing but make you pay for a 12-year-old mistake. That wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.”

Rey couldn’t help but sob into his shoulder, the years of separation melting away. Finn had been her friend, probably her best friend in the world, and she couldn’t even fathom what she’d lost until he had come back to her.

He gingerly patted her back as she calmed herself into a steady sniffle, reluctantly letting her go when she finally pulled away. 

“I love you, peanut,” she said, using her gloves to wipe under her eyes.

Finn smiled. “Love you too, peanut.”

The band cut off again as Rose took the stage. 

“Shit,” said Finn, grabbing a small box out of one of his pockets. “That’s my cue.” He disappeared into the crowd. 

Rey shot Poe a confused look, Poe simply shaking his head and handing her a clean napkin. She blew her nose gratefully.

“Are you okay?” he asked when she’d mopped up her face as best she could. They were the first words he’d said to her since all of the Ben drama, his face a little unreadable in the current light.

She only had time to say, “Yeah,” before her dad was back.

“Oh, he’s finally gonna do it,” he said handing over the baggie full of ice for Rey’s hand. She hissed as it touched the overheated skin across her knuckles.

“Do what?” she asked, growing more confused with each passing minute.

“Just watch.”

Rey turned to the stage, where Rose was halfway through her speech.

“....and thanks to the generosity of our sponsor’s matching donation, we’ve raised a total of $25,000 for the children’s hospital! A huge thank you to Sunshine Furniture!” Rose waited for the applause to die down. Weirdly, it felt like everyone in the room had turned to Poe, his face growing more pink by the second. “And another special thanks to my fellow Christmas Committee members, Finn Calrissian, Poe Dameron, and Rey Kenobi, whose hard work made all of this possible!”

Rey soaked up the applause, thankful that for once she wasn’t being singled out for doing something terrible. Or making a scene with her ex.

Finn appeared on stage, a second mic in one hand. “And let’s not forget our fearless leader, Rose Tico!” He waited a full minute for the thunderous applause to die down. “She’s great, isn’t she? I know I think so. Which is why I wanted to say a few words in front of everybody we know and love.”

It dawned on Rey about the same time it dawned on Rose onstage.

“Finn, what are you doing,” she practically breathed, though the microphone picked up every word.

In answer, Finn got down on one knee. “Rose Marie Tico, I’ve loved you since I was 15 years old. Too bad it took me until 25 to figure it out.” A laugh went through the crowd. “For five years you’ve been by my side, and I don’t want to waste another minute of our lives together. Will you marry me?”

She didn’t make him wait long. “Yes!”

The ring was on her finger a second later, the entire room breaking into cheers as they sealed it with a kiss. Even the band joined in, launching in to a rousing rendition of the bridal march.

Rey and Poe were there to meet them as soon as they exited the stage, Rey pulling first Rose and then Finn into crushing hugs despite the ache in her hand. 

“I’m engaged!” shouted Rose to no one in particular, Rey oooing and ahhhing over the ring. 

A second later, the band started a slow song, Rose dragging Finn onto the dance floor. They watched them retreat before Poe stuck out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

Rey’s answering smile made her cheeks ache. “Of course.”

There was still a touch of that earlier awe on his face as he led her to the dance floor, Rey dropping her baggie of ice at a table along the way. 

Poe was the better dancer by far - something they’d learned earlier that evening as she stepped all over his toes - so he kept it simple, their bodies swaying to the soulful chords of Unchained Melody, cheek to cheek. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he murmured into her ear, one hand trailing across her satin-draped back. Even through the fabric, he left a trail of heat, enough to melt the stars.

“I’m fine. But I’m sorry about Ben.” She pulled back to look into his eyes. “I just want you to know, there’s nothing there anymore.”

“Yeah, the punch to the face kind of tipped me off. But why are you apologizing?” He brought one hand up to cup her face, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek.

Rey wanted to purr at the contact, but held herself in check. “I don’t want you to think I was reconsidering.”

He smiled, bringing his other hand up to frame her face. “Rey, I was never worried you were going to leave me for another man.”

He said it like there was something he _was_ afraid she was going to leave him for, but there was no time to dwell on it when Poe brought his lips to hers.

The kiss had barely even started to get good when Rose tugged on Poe’s sleeve. “Guys, come quick!” she stage whispered, motioning for them to follow. Together they wound through the crowd, dodging dancing couples and meddling fathers alike. When they made it to the barn door, Finn was waiting for them. 

“You may want to borrow Poe’s jacket,” he said, already handing his over to Rose.

She looked to Poe who simply shook his head in a very clear “this may as well happen,” before shrugging out of his jacket and handing it over to Rey. It smelled like him, something woodsy and clean that Rey had grown to love over the last few weeks.

Finn cracked the door, motioning for them to hurry through.

Rey stepped into a winter wonderland. 

A foot of snow must have fallen in the hours they’d been inside, blanketing the farm in the silent white. Lined up just in front of the barn were four horse-drawn sleighs, complete with blankets and jingle bells.

Rose was smiling at the looks on their faces. “Figured we should get first dibs before everyone gets out here.”

“When did you….” Rey trailed off, too surprised to finish the sentence. They’d spent weeks planning this, and never had Rose mentioned the possibility of sleigh rides.

Rose shrugged, a shit-eating grin on her face. “Hey, I had to keep something up my sleeve if I wanted to remain the Queen of Christmas. Plus, I wasn’t sure the weather was going to cooperate.” 

“All hail,” Rey said, taking a step closer to the sleighs.

But Rose wasn't finished yet. “So, uh, we don’t have to pretend that you two aren’t dating anymore, right? That’s what tonight was all about?”

Rey whirled around to face Rose. She was wondering when one of them would say something. “How long have you known?”

“Thanksgiving,” said Rose at the same time Finn answered, “First committee meeting.”

Poe burst out laughing. “And we thought we were hiding it so well.”

Rey shook her head, unable to keep a smile off her face. “We weren’t even together then. For either of those.”

“Keep telling yourselves that,” Rose shot back.

“I, for one, am glad we will be spared the loaded glances and simmering tension,” added Finn, throwing an arm around Rose. “I thought you two were going to combust at the meeting yesterday.”

“Well, I caught them making out on the dance floor just now.”

Rey’s face burned in the softly falling snow. “On that note, which one is ours?”

Rose pointed toward the lead sleigh. “We’ll be right behind you. But not too close, if you know what I mean.”

Oh, Rey knew exactly what she meant, but she hopped into the sleigh (with a guiding hand from Poe) before Rose could say anymore. Poe followed a second later, tossing the offered faux fur blanket over both of them.

And then they were off, the driver urging their two-horse team forward.

Rose had obviously been planning this for a while, beautiful twinkling lights guiding their way through the nearby woods. It was like something out of a fairytale, one Rey never thought she’d be a part of, especially with Poe by her side.

Poe’s eyes sparkled in the light, watching as she took it all in.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, the snowy scene around her threatening to take her breath away.

“I know,” answered Poe, but when she turned to look at him, he only had eyes for her.

This time when he kissed her, there was no one to interrupt, no one stop them as it deepened, his tongue anything but tentative as he explored her mouth. Dotting soft, sucking kisses along her jaw, he found his way to her neck, focusing on the spot that always left her legs like jello. She buried her hands in his curls, tugging his back up to her mouth by the hair.

Before she knew what was happening, the sleigh pulled back in front of the barn. They separated reluctantly, Poe leaning his forehead against hers as they both struggled to catch their breath.

“I don’t know about you,” he panted, his breath mingling with her own, “but I’m starting to think we’ve waited long enough.”

“I mean, we’ve shown so much restraint so far. We definitely deserve a reward.”

Poe barked out a laugh, kissing her once before grabbing her hand and practically dragging her from the sleigh.

“Should we wait to tell Finn and Rose?” she asked, giggling as Poe led her to the Jag. She was still wearing his coat, and her feet were now soaked thanks to the snow, but she’d never been happier.

“Text ‘em on the way.” He opened the passenger door for her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before running around the other side. Rey sent up a silent prayer of thanks that they decided to pay Rose’s staff to clean up.

Poe drove as quickly as the roads would allow, the snow making the 20 minute trip feel like an eternity. Finally, Poe pulled into her driveway, running up the front porch to drop the Jag’s keys through the mail slot before coming back for her.

“Shall we?” he asked, bending forward to slide one arm behind her knees.

She jerked out of his reach. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, bending back down to try again.

She scooted away. “You’re going to carry me all the way to the house?” 

Poe huffed out a laugh, shaking his head and crossing his arms. His rather thick arms, that he now planned to carry her in. Rey’s thighs squeezed together of their own accord. “Well, actually I was planning on carrying you all the way to my bed, but same difference.” The devilish grin told her all she needed to know about what he planned to do once they got there.

“You’re nuts,” she laughed, coming around to the idea. The snow  _ was _ deep and her heels  _ were _ pretty expensive. Not to mention how freaking hot it was to be carried straight to bed...

He didn’t make another move to pick her up. “Is that a yes?”

Rey’s smile went wide. “That’s a yes.”

She didn’t have to wait long. One second she was sitting in the Jag, and the next she was in his arms, Poe lifting her like she weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes. With a foot, he kicked shut the door of the Jag and started across the lawn to his house.

Rey twined her arms around his neck, pressing little kisses along his jawline. “A girl could get used to this.”

“Should have done this the first time you came over.” Even with her added weight, he wasn’t anywhere near out of breath. 

“For the committee meeting? I’m sure Finn and Rose would have made no comment about that.”

“Then when you came for our first date.”

“And crumple my dress? I don’t think so.”

“But you aren’t worried about this one?” He made a point to look down the length of black satin, already wrinkled beyond repair from the evening’s activities. That was the worst part about satin dresses. It was impossible to keep them smooth.

She leaned forward, saying the next words directly into his ear. “Not when it’s about to be on your floor.”

It wasn’t just Rey’s imagination that Poe picked up the pace, taking the front steps in a rush. He set her down for the exactly ten seconds it took to unlock his front door, then she was in his arms again and over the threshold. In a move she was starting to associate with him, he kicked this door shut, too, Rey helping him out by sliding the deadbolt home.

A quick trip up the stairs finally got Poe’s heart beating, but being Poe, he refused to take it slower or set her down. She simply hung on for dear life, enjoying the feeling of Poe all around her. 

This wasn’t her first time in his bedroom, but it was certainly the first with their current intentions, Poe not even bothering to turn on the lights before he lowered her onto the bed. 

From there, Rey gave in completely to her senses. The scent of sweat on Poe’s skin. The feel of his calloused hands as they gently slid across her body. The look in his dark eyes as they devoured her whole. The taste of his lips pressed against her own.

The sound of a black satin dress hitting the hardwood floor.


	11. Christmas and Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day brings revelations all around. The next day, Rey receives news from Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There be angst here. But have no fear, the ending is a happy one, I promise.

Rey woke slowly on Christmas morning, far too warm and snug to leave the comfort of Poe’s arms. His body curled against hers from behind, the big spoon to her little, legs tangled under the covers with the palm of one hand flat against her stomach. The pads of his fingers were rough and calloused, Rey lost in the memories of how they felt on various parts of her last night. She ran a finger up the length of his forearm, feeling the latent strength hidden just below the surface.

Oh how those arms had held her last night. On the dancefloor. From the car to the bed. In the bed. He was strong, stronger than she could ever be, and not just in the physical sense.

She still couldn’t fathom the strength it must have taken for him to forgive her all these years later, to allow her into his heart and bed after what she had pulled. She was in awe of the man he had become. Kind and caring and selfless in a way she could only ever hope to achieve. While her mistakes had left her cold and closed off, Poe had marched on, full of light and life. It boggled the mind. 

Would she ever deserve this man? Probably not, but lord knows she was gonna try.

“Morning, Sunshine,” came Poe’s sleep-roughened voice in her ear. He pressed a soft kiss right below her earlobe. “I can hear you thinking all the way over here.”

Rey turned to face him, instantly regretting the loss of Poe’s solid warmth. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I don’t mind.” Poe smiled, his eyes still half shut in sleep, and closed the distance between them for a far-too-brief kiss. “Breakfast?”

Rey threw one leg over his thigh, not wanting there to be any mistake about her next request. “I think I need to work up an appetite first.”

“Oh, that can be arranged.” With a wide smile, Poe rolled to his back, bringing Rey with him so she straddled his hips. Once again, Rey was struck by the ring around his neck, the same jolt going through her as it had last night.

His mother’s wedding ring. The very same one he’d tried to hand to her 12 years ago. Rey had a lot of complicated feelings about that ring, none of them particularly good. Shame, hot and roiling, surged through her gut.

Poe rubbed his hands up and down on either of her thighs, the gentle rhythm oddly soothing. “What’s wrong?”

“The ring,” she said, pointing out the place it would lay on her own chest, not quite daring to touch it herself. “You wear it now.”

Rey had never met Shara Bey, Poe’s mother passing nearly a year before Rey arrived in Yavin. But her shadow loomed large, especially for young Poe, who had been nearly as feral as Rey when she first met him. Oh, the trouble they got into those first months, always dragging Finn into their schemes, whether it was swiping candy from the General Store (and promptly getting caught and forced to apologize) or sneaking into Kes’s barn to play on the off-limits machinery. Thankfully, there wasn’t much to get into in Yavin or who knows how the three of them would have ended up, but by the time high school came around Shara’s memory was more of a guiding force for Poe than a reason to act out. 

Of course she’d known that Shara had left her wedding ring for Poe, but she’d never seen it until that fateful night he’d gotten down on one knee. And now, here it was, staring her in the face once more.

Poe’s hand went to the necklace, his smile turning sad. “Yeah, it’s a good reminder. To keep my heart safe.”

Rey took a shaky breath. She was the reason he had to learn that lesson. The hard way.

“Hey,” said Poe, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. “It's not a good or bad thing, just the truth.”

He wasn’t offering her absolution, but a way through this thing. Together. One that she would grab on to like her life depended on it.

So she leaned down to kiss him, trusting that in the end, they’d find their way to the other side.

Rey was famished by the time they made it downstairs for pancakes, sitting at one of the island stools and watching as Poe flitted around the kitchen, generally making a mess and looking good doing it. He was in a pair of soft, flannel pajama pants and nothing else, the ring around his neck glinting every so often in the bright winter sun.

As he set a plate of perfectly fluffy pancakes in front of her, she snuggled down into her borrowed robe. It was too big by half but she didn’t exactly have many options when the only clothes she brought with her were black tie optional. And very, very wrinkled.

“Wait a second,” she said, looking around the kitchen. “Where’s Bee?”

Poe laughed, sliding in to the chair next to hers with his own full plate. “Wow, it only took you 10 hours to realize my dog was missing. She’ll be flattered.”

Rey swatted at him. “I was a little busy last night. And this morning.”

“Fair enough. She spent the night at Grandpa’s house. Dad’ll bring her when he comes this afternoon.”

Once they were full (and made one more attempt to work up an appetite. On the counter.), it was time to get ready for the guests. 

“What do you mean you aren’t cooking?” she asked, scrubbing down the counters. There was no way she could put food on these after… 

“Dad doesn’t trust me with the roast. Or the sides. I’ve been assigned appetizers, wine, and salad. Three things I can’t mess up.”

Rey gave him a look.

“I know, I know. He still sees me as the kid who burned easy mac,” laughed Poe, watching as Rey finished, arms folded across his chest. “Not that I don’t love you in that robe, but is that how you’re planning to attend Christmas dinner?”

She laughed, walking over to drape her arms around her neck. “I have to go home and change. Plus do the whole Christmas morning thing with Dad.” She placed a quick peck on his lips, determined not get in yet another heated embrace. “I’ll be back for dinner.”

With a pair of much too large borrowed boots on her feet and her rumpled dress in hand, she made a mad dash through the fresh snow to her house, the door already open for her.

“Dad? I’m home!” she shouted, bringing her dad out from the kitchen.

He was dressed in a robe oddly similar to the one she was currently wearing, sipping a cup of coffee. “Ah, look what the cat dragged in. I’d ask if you had a satisfying evening, but I fear I know the answer to that.”

Rey groaned, closing her eyes in an attempt to shut out the fact that her dad  _ knew.  _ “Ok, I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”

“Merry Christmas, dear. Presents?”

“Presents.”

An hour and many tears later (and in Rey’s defense the “World’s Best Dad” mug was meant as a joke, but as soon as it was out of the paper, he was crying then she was crying; it was a whole thing.), Rey headed upstairs to shower and change for the main event, stopping dead in her tracks as soon as she hit her bedroom.

“Uh, Dad?”

Of course he was only a step or two behind her, grinning far too wide to not be a part of what was going on in her bedroom.

In the space where her old, shabby twin bed had once occupied, there now stood a perfect queen, the headboard tufted in same fabric she’d admired on Poe’s couch. Even without the matching fabric, she would have recognized Poe’s work a mile away. The smooth lines of the platform. The perfect symmetry of the diamond tufting. The wings for added dramatic flair. Every inch of that bed screamed Poe Dameron (much as she had earlier that morning).

“When?” she asked, too many things going through her head to articulate them all.

“After you two left. He had a few elves that helped.” He gave her a wink. “I told him it was a waste, that after seeing what he’d done for you, there was no way you’d be spending the night alone in this room again, but Poe was never one to listen to common sense.”

She laughed, running a hand over the aqua and white comforter that felt plucked out of her very mind and admiring the way it played off the grey of the headboard. The man had style, she couldn’t deny it. Without warning, she threw herself onto the mattress - perfect, of course - and dug her phone out of the robe pocket.

You (11:02 AM): I thought we weren’t doing gifts!

Poe Dameron (11:02 AM): Finally! I thought you’d never go upstairs.

😉

And we said we weren’t buying gifts. Big difference. I made that.

You (11:03 AM): That is not the point, and you know it!

Also, thank you, I love it.

Though, I’m not sure when I’ll get to use it properly.

Poe Dameron (11:04 AM): Uncle Ben’s got to leave the house sometime…

You (11:04 AM): I like the way you think, Dameron.

Poe Dameron (11:05 AM): Anytime, Sunshine.

Christmas dinner was a sharp contrast to their awkward Thanksgiving, though all the players remained the same. Finn and Rose were the stars of the show this time around, soaking up that post-engagement glow while Poe and Rey held hands under the table. Not that they were hiding anything. Just that this was Finn and Rose’s time to shine.

And shine they did, the ring was even more beautiful than Rey remembered. It was practically blinding in the sun streaming through Poe’s picturesque windows, and not for the first time that day, she found herself envying the happy couple. She told herself it was just because she loved Finn and Rose, but deep down she knew it was more than that. For the first time in her life, she could see herself in that position - paired off, incandescently happy, settled - and not want to run as far and as fast as she could from it. 

That was the power of Poe. Or maybe it was the beauty of having already made these mistakes. The time away and the gift of hindsight had given her a new perspective. One where staying in Yavin and starting a family of her own, even if it just consisted of her and Poe, didn’t feel like a consolation prize in the game of life, but the whole damn goal.

So the day wound to a close, the elders calling it a night while the younger generation gathered in front of a roaring fire.

Bee’s head was heavy in her lap as Rey stretched out on the floor, absently petting her while the conversation swirled around her.

“Winter wedding for sure. Maybe even Christmas, though that would mess with the Jingle Ball.” Rose looked thoughtful for a second. “Either way, I’m thinking snowy-white dress with some kind of faux fur wrap. Oh, or maybe a cape.”

Rey laughed, Bee giving her a doleful look when she accidentally forgot to keep scratching.

Finn leaned over, feeding another log to the fire. “What about you two? What’s next on the Poe and Rey reunion tour?”

She shot a glance over at Poe, whose face looked as warm as hers felt. It had to be the fire. “Oh, I don’t know. We already weathered a visit from one of my exes, so I suppose it’s time for Poe’s to come out of the woodwork.”

Rose scoffed. “Oh, please. This one has practically been a monk since you left.” She jerked a thumb toward Poe. “I doubt you’ll have to worry about that.”

It was not her imagination that the flush on Poe’s face deepened. “Just because I was not flaunting my conquests around town, does not mean that I was a monk, thank you very much. Or are you forgetting that I was in a relationship a few years ago?”

“Zorii Bliss does not count,” said Finn and Rose together, cracking up a second later.

“Guys,” said Poe, a warning in his voice.

Finn ignored him, turning to Rey. “Zorii was the absolute worst. That woman had gold digger written all over her.”

“Gold digger? For Poe?” She looked from Finn to Poe, the latter shaking his head vehemently at the former.

What the hell was she missing here?

“Yeah, it was right after he took Sunshine national, so the timing was more than a little suspect. Why are you shaking your head at me?”

Poe sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

Oh. OH.

“You  _ own _ Sunshine Furniture?” she said, not trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

“Wait, a second, you didn’t know that?” Finn was looking a little incredulous. “How did you not know that?”

Rose grabbed Finn’s arm. “Honey, please stop talking. What my fiance meant to say is that we’re gonna let you two talk.” She dragged Finn forcibly from the couch. “Merry Christmas! We’ll see ourselves out.”

“Merry Christmas, guys,” said Poe, still not quite making eye contact with her.

Rey continued to stare at him in silence as Finn and Rose put their coats on in the front hall, quietly bickering all the while.

He waited until the door clicked shut to speak. “I know you probably have questions-”

She didn’t wait for him to finish. “Why? Why would you let me go on like that? For a fucking month.” She looked down, shaking her head. “How many times did you need to hear me tell you how wonderful your designs were before you planned to come clean? 50? 100?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you.” He dropped his head back into his hands.

“That you were pretending to be just another worker for the multi-million dollar company you actually own?”

“That it was all for you.” 

Rey felt her anger deflate instantly. “Wait, what?”

Poe slid off his chair, joining her on the floor. “Sunshine Furniture, the house, all of it. It was all for you.” Bee’s head shot up as he grabbed her hands. “At least, it started that way.”

Rey waited in silence for him to go on.

“After you left, I was completely lost.” Poe looked down to where their hands were joined. “I signed up for classes at the community college, but my heart wasn’t in it. I just kind of… existed. By January, Dad was ready to murder me and not-so-subtly suggested that I get a hobby. I was always good with my hands, so I tried this woodworking class. 

“And I was good. So good, that I threw everything I had into it. Soon I was making pieces for people around town for a few extra bucks. Then Dad convinced me to start selling at farmers markets and craft fairs. By the time I graduated college, I had the idea for Sunshine. I was going to show you that I was more than just a farmer’s son.”

Rey’s heart ached. She had said that to him all those years ago, so careless with her words, never thinking how they affected anyone around her. “Poe…”

“It’s okay,” he said, giving her a weak smile. “I want to finish.”

Rey nodded, swallowing thickly before Poe went on. “With Finn’s help, I secured the financing, and started Sunshine in my Dad’s barn. Two years later, we bought and reopened the old furniture factory. But I knew that wasn’t enough. You wanted a home, a family. So I bought this place.

“I spent another year making it into the home you always wanted. Not dark like Uncle Ben’s house, but bright and light and modern. When I got stuck, Rose would creep on your Instagram and help me out. 

“Once I finished, it was time. I talked to Uncle Ben, went to Coruscant, waited for you to get off work.” He laughed, shaking his head slightly. “I swear it was less creepy than it sounds.” Rey cracked a smile despite herself. “So I sat there and sat there at that little coffee shop in the lobby and finally the elevator doors open and you walk out. 

“I swear I stopped breathing. You looked amazing. So happy. Like you were right where you belonged. And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t try and convince you to come back. So I decided then and there that I was going to move on.

“I grew Sunshine, not for you this time, but for me. I dated, which was shockingly less successful than the business. I thought about selling the house, but by then I loved it too much. I was happy, or I thought I was. And that’s when you dropped back into my life.”

Rey sat in stunned silence for a moment. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s a lot, I know." He brought one hand up to tangle in her hair. "You don't have to say anything.”

Her first thought was that she didn’t deserve this. Any of it. She had been nothing but selfish and Poe had built her a house and named a furniture empire after her. And when he thought that she was happy in Coruscant, he bowed out, no questions asked. 

Her second thought was that she loved him. Unconditionally. Unequivocally. Unquestioningly. 

She should have told him right then and there - explicitly - but it felt too much, too soon. So she did the next best thing and pressed her lips to his, showing him how she felt without words.

Only in hindsight would she realize that she should have used the words.

They were hanging out in the living room the next morning when Rey’s phone rang from somewhere in the house. 

“Shit, that’s me,” she said, setting down her novel. It was just getting to the good part, too. “Where’s my phone?”

Poe looked up from his Architectural Digest. “I think I saw in the kitchen at breakfast.”

She jogged into the kitchen, finding a Coruscant number she didn’t recognize on the screen. Worrying it was something about her apartment, she picked it up before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”

“Is this Rey Kenobi?” came a female voice that sounded vaguely familiar, something tickling the very edges of Rey’s memory.

“This is she.” 

“Rey, this is Leia Organa-Solo from Resistance Media, how are you?”

Rey almost dropped the phone. “Uh, I’m well Mrs. Organa-Solo, how are you?”

A sweet, tinkling laugh that sounded like it belonged to anyone else but the owner of the biggest advertising conglomerate in the country came over the line. “I’m doing well, but please, call me Leia. I got your number from Debbie, I hope that’s all right.”

“Debbie?” Rey racked her brain, unable to place the name.

“Ben’s former Executive Assistant. She joined us last month, and when I asked her if there was anyone from Jedi worth bringing to my team, she gave me one name and one name only - yours.”

Jesus, she’d always thought that woman hated her. Weird. “Um, wow, I’m honored.”

“Well, that’s a start. I was hoping to get you in here before the new year to discuss taking your career to the next level at Resistance. The folks at Sienar were very impressed with your work, and I’d love to bring you on board.”

“You’re offering me a job?” This was not the way you responded to a job offer, and Rey knew it, but she couldn’t help sounding incredulous. Leia Organa-Solo had called her personally to offer her a job. Would the wonders never cease?

There was that laugh again. “Yes, I am. What do you say?”

From the other room, she heard Poe murmur something, the click of Bee’s nails on the hardwood floor answering a second later. The sounds of home. 

She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. “I’m actually not looking to return to Coruscant at the moment.”

“Hmmm, well I think we may be able to come up with a solution to that.”

“Really, I’m honored. I’ve wanted to work for you since college. But, I’m focusing on other aspects of my life right now.”

She thought that would be it, the final nail in the coffin, but of course, Leia Organa-Solo didn’t get where she was in life by giving up so easily.

“Hear me out. I want you, Rey. So take a few days, think it through, and then give me call back at this number and we can find a time to meet and discuss. You will not regret it.”

Rey blinked, unable to say no. “Uh, ok.”

“Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you. Good-bye.”

The line clicked off, Rey left blinking and confused in the kitchen. Had Leia Organa-Solo just rejected her rejection? Like a zombie, she walked back into the living room, finding Poe exactly where she left him.

“Who was that?” he asked, looking up from his magazine with a half-smile on his face.

Rey dropped onto the couch, still looking at her phone like it was about to self destruct. “Uh, Leia Organa-Solo.”

The smile slid off Poe’s face.

“What did she want?” he asked, his voice all ice. She swore the temperature in the room dropped 20 degrees.

Had Rey been paying attention, she would have noticed the change, lead with the fact that she was going to turn it down, that she actually  _ had  _ turned it down once already, instead of saying, “She offered me a job.”

When Rey finally looked up, she found Poe staring at her, a blank look on his face. “Poe?”

“So you were just biding your time with me, afterall,” he said, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. The smile on his face was twisted, devoid of anything approaching good humor. “And I fell for it. Again.”

Hearing the danger in his tone, Rey moved toward him. “Poe, it’s not-”

He cut her off before she could explain. “I should have known. I mean, it didn’t even cross your mind that I owned Sunshine, did it? Despite all the evidence to the contrary, despite the fact that I fucking named the company after you, you couldn’t imagine me as anything but a common drudge. A blue collar townie. And that’s how you’ll always see me.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, where is this coming from?” They had talked this all out. They were past this. Weren’t they?

But Poe wasn’t listening to her, not anymore. “No. I’m not going to watch you choose that city, that job, over me again. I’ll make this easy on you. We’re done.”

No, no, no, no. “Please don’t do this,” she begged, not caring how pathetic it made her sound.

“You should go.” He wouldn’t even look at her as he walked into the foyer and opened the front door, his meaning unmistakable.

Bee whined softly as Rey donned her boots and coat, trying one final plea on she stepped onto the front porch. “Poe?”

He simply shook his head and closed the door firmly in her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left! Thanks for reading!


	12. New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the year comes to a close, Rey makes her decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this ridiculously trope-y Hallmark movie knock off. I had an absolute ball writing it.

Rey stepped back into her old life like no time had passed at all. As she walked through the door to her apartment, everything was as she’d left it. Mail stacked neatly on the counter. Extra keys hanging by the door. A half-folded basket of laundry next to the couch. Her perfectly curated life, just waiting for her to return.

She hated every square foot of it.

The pretty rugs and the modern table and the little empty canisters lined up just for show. The nude sofa and the pretentious coffee table books and the ridiculous throw pillows - for that splash of color. Oh, how she longed to toss all of it out the window. But none more than the bookcases on the far wall. And the credenza in the corner. And that one dresser in her bedroom. All those Sunshine pieces she’d painstakingly collected, so proud that she could afford pretty things, mocking her in all their glory. 

_ At least the bed isn’t one of his _ , she thought as she flopped onto the mattress, nowhere near as nice as the new one in her room back home. Not that she’d had a chance to sleep on it before her father packed her up in the car and brought her here.

She’d been crying when she walked through the door the morning after Christmas.

_ “Rey, is that you?” called her father from the study. The shop was closed until the new year, one of the perks of owning your own business.  _

_ She tried to answer, but all that came out was a choked sob. _

_ Floorboards creaked as he made his way to the foyer. “Is everything ok?” _

_ She’d told him everything right then and there. The call from Leia. Her declination of the offer. Leia's insistence. Poe’s reaction. _

_ “He wouldn’t even let me explain,” she said, gripping the mug of tea her father had put in her hands as they sat down at the table. “I thought we were past all this, that I’d made amends. But it was like he didn’t want to believe me.” _

_ Her dad leaned back in his chair. “Oh, Rey. This is all my fault.” _

_ “Of course it’s not your fault,” she said, waving him off. “I’ve given him plenty of reasons not to trust me. Now I’m just reaping what I’ve sown.” _

_ “No, you don’t understand.” He scrubbed a hand over his weathered face. “I thought all you two needed was a little push…” _

_ She blinked at him in confusion. “What are you saying?” _

_ “I may have helped facilitate a few meetings. Asked the diner to let Poe know his pie was ready. Let it slip to Finn how much you would love to see the tree lighting. Put your name forward when Rose was trying to figure out who to bring on to the committee. I know it’s silly, but I thought-” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I thought that you two were like me and Satine or Kes and Shara. That if I just helped you to realize it...” Her dad trailed off again, shaking his head. “But I pushed too hard, too fast. I’m so sorry.” _

_ Rey blinked, too shocked to say anything as her dad took one of her hands. _

_ “Maybe.” He stopped and swallowed, steeling himself for whatever he needed to say next. “Maybe you should lay low for a few days. Go back to Coruscant for that interview while the dust settles here.” _

_ Rey’s heart sank. “You want me gone?” She hated how pathetic her voice sounded, but there was nothing to do about it now. _

_ “Oh, sweetheart, of course not,” he said, putting one hand over hers. She hated the pity written all over his face. “I just think it may be for the best right now.”  _

While it may have been for the best, it felt like she was only confirming Poe’s worst fears about her. Especially when her dad insisted on taking her back that very same day.

At least she got the chance to say goodbye to Finn and Rose.

_ “Now, I’m still planning to come down this summer,” said Rose, after Rey finished the whole sordid tale, “so we’ll  _ have _ to go dress shopping. I know Paige is my maid-of-honor and all, but she’s not exactly fashion forward, if you get what I mean.” _

_ Rey laughed, despite the dull ache in her chest. “Of course. You pick the date and I’ll be there.” _

_ When Rose finally released her, Rey lifted her gaze toward Finn, afraid she’d see anger and resentment on his face once more.  _

_ But there was only understanding on the smooth curves of his face when her eyes met his, a hint of her own sadness reflecting back at her. He opened his arms, Rey taking the opportunity to step into the embrace.  _

_ “We’ll see you soon, peanut,” he whispered, giving her one last squeeze for good measure. _

_ They were taking the news much better this time around, but she couldn’t help but notice that no one was trying to convince her to stay. And they certainly weren’t comforting her with soft assurances that Poe would come around.  _

_ Absently, she wondered if everyone just assumed that she’d take off at the first opportunity. That she wouldn’t be able to resist that job offer and all it entailed when it was dangling right in front of her.  _

_ Rey choked back the tears that threatened to fall at that thought, focusing her attention back on Rose. “Summer?” _

_ Rose smiled. “Summer.” _

A week. That's how long she'd been back, and already her time in Yavin felt like a dream, one she’d woken up from abruptly and had been trying to chase ever since. 

She’d called Leia as soon as she settled in, and with nothing else to focus on, she’d thrown herself in to interview prep. Not that it was hard. She already knew everything there was to know about Resistance Media and even more about Leia Organa-Solo, so there was no need to research the company. Her portfolio spoke for itself. All she had to do was focus on making herself presentable and selling herself, easily accomplished with a sharp new suit and a firm handshake.

Taking up four floors of a highrise in downtown Coruscant, Resistance Media was everything she’d dreamed of and more. As Leia herself took her on a tour of the office, Rey noted the wide, open spaces and sleek modern decor, not to mention all the smiling faces and lovely greetings as they passed. There were no formalities here, everyone from the receptionist to Leia Organa-Solo herself on a first-name basis. It was such a stark contrast to how Ben operated, Rey couldn’t help but wonder how the two were even related.

And then there was Leia. It was immediately evident that Rey had not misplaced her admiration in Leia Organa-Solo. She was whip-smart, confident, self-possessed, all the things Rey hoped to be in her career. They hit it off immediately, spending more than an hour deep in conversation. It was comforting, settling in to the old rhythms, talking shop with a fellow professional. So much so, that it was no surprise when Leia extended an offer then and there at the end of the interview.

The offer letter - with all of its attendant zeroes - continued to judge her from its spot on the dresser. The date when she’d need to give Leia an answer was rapidly approaching, but every time she thought she’d come to a decision, something stopped her from taking that final step.

But oh, how she wanted to say yes.

Thankfully, she didn’t have time to think about it as she got ready for Leia’s annual New Year's extravaganza. 

It was the most coveted invite in all of Coruscant, and for years Rey had dreamed of being important enough to attend. The event was a veritable who’s who of Coruscant’s elite mixed with celebrities from all over the world. A few years ago, an actual Prince showed up. She’d begged Ben to bring her last year to no avail. Though, knowing what she now knew, perhaps even he hadn’t scored an invite.

But now that she was mere hours away from attending as Leia’s personal guest, the whole thing felt a little pointless.

So this was what a broken heart felt like.

The bone-deep weariness and hollow ache of her chest had been her closest companions in the week since she’d left Yavin, Rey only leaving her bed long enough to pee or eat or interview. And don't even get her started on the crying. Looking back, it was almost laughable now that she’d mistaken the twinge of hurt pride at Ben leaving her for the real thing, especially when all she wanted to do was crawl right back into bed. At least the crying had stopped. For the most part.

But she had places to go and people to see, so she put on her best face, stepped into the gown she’d rented for the occasion, and headed downtown for the last party of the decade.

Held in one of the most famous museums in the world, the party was beyond even her wildest imagination, each gallery more fantastic than the last.

There was some kind of a circus theme, with a fire-breather in the lobby and various acts scattered around the rest of the museum. A contortionist among the 18th century art. Some acrobats in the armor gallery. A juggler amid the tapestry room.

If only she could enjoy it.

She did her best as Leia dragged her from room to room, introducing her to future colleagues (with a wink, of course), an actress whose last movie Rey had been meaning to see, and even the freaking Mayor of Coruscant, but it was no use. The answer had been staring her in the face all along. 

By 11:45, Rey was done. Her feet were sore, her back was aching, and she was tired all the way down to her soul. The mere thought of being alone among a sea of couples as the clock struck midnight had her skirting around another conversation with Leia and scurrying toward the door. Once the ball dropped, people would be too preoccupied with well wishes and “Auld Lang Syne” to note her absence. Now was the perfect time to slip away.

So slip away she did, donning the light shawl she’d brought as she stepped into the cool night air. It was only a couple of blocks to her apartment, and if she hurried, she could probably be in bed with her makeup off before the new year.

She was about to do just that when a familiar voice shouted her name.

“Rey!” 

She couldn’t believe her eyes when she turned to find Poe Dameron running down the steps of the museum in an impeccable black tux, the bowtie just crooked enough to be endearing.

He smiled as he came to a stop just in front of her. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. What are you doing out here?”

“I was just leaving,” she said, a little breathless. He was even more handsome than she remembered, all rugged beard and softly tousled curls. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

“I came to get you back, of course,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

In the moment, words deserted her, but Rey knew what to do. Everything else melted away as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a resounding, yes. She felt his answering smile against her lips.

Far too soon, Poe was pulling away, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry, Rey. I was so terrified of getting hurt again that I pushed you away before you got the chance.” 

“Hey, I gave you a pretty good reason to be afraid,” she replied, thumbs coming up to brush away the tears on his cheeks.

Smiling, he pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “I’ve been thinking about the whole job thing…”

She froze, her heart hammering in her chest. Was he going to ask her to stay in Yavin? Turn down the job and choose him once and for all? She needed him to know what she decided...

“You need to take the job at Resistance,” he said at the exact same time she blurted, “I’m turning down the job.”

They looked at each other in confused silence for a second before Rey asked, “Wait, what?”

“The job, you have to take it,” he said, his expression serious. “When I asked you why you turned me down all those years ago, you said that if you said yes, you were terrified that you’d never leave Yavin.

“Well, if you turn this down to stay with me, it’s essentially your worst nightmare coming true. And I can’t let you do that.”

Rey felt her face crumple. “So you came all this way to say you aren’t getting back together with me?”

“No,” he said, dropping his head with a laugh. “This is coming out all wrong.” He took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m all in. Take the job with Resistance and we’ll figure out the rest.”

Oh, how she wanted to. With every fiber of her being. “What about Sunshine?” 

“She’ll be in capable hands with my COO.” At her blank look, Poe burst out laughing. “Finn. Finn’s my COO. You really aren’t that observant, are you?”

“Hey,” she laughed, giving him a playful shove for good measure.

“Anyway, you gave me an idea for a more custom, high-end line of Sunshine, and what better market to test it in than Coruscant? We can split our time between here and Yavin. Best of both worlds.”

Rey had learned over the years that when something seemed too good to be true, it generally was. But as she looked into Poe’s eyes, all she saw was certainty. His certainty in her, his certainty in the plan, his certainty in their ability to start a life together. 

“We’re gonna do this?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

Poe’s smile threatened to blind her. “Yeah, we’re gonna do this.”

“Wait a second, how did you get an invite to the party?”

Poe looked sheepish for a second. “Uh, I may have designed all of Resistance’s new office furniture.”

“Of course you did,” she laughed, shaking her head.

From just inside the building came the faint sounds of a countdown.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

Poe stepped even closer, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“Seven... six... five…

His hand lingered, delicately cupping her cheek.

Four… three… two… one… happy new year!”

This time when he brought his lips to hers, it felt like a vow, a promise between the two of them to give this thing a real shot.

The future looked very bright indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all she wrote! Thanks for reading!


End file.
